Eighty-five years after the campaigns of Greece and Crete forged a wartime bond between Australia and Greece, the two nations have marked the anniversary with a symbolic gesture highlighting both remembrance and modern defence cooperation.
Australia’s Ambassador to Greece, Alison Duncan, met with Greek Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias on Monday at Greece’s Ministry of National Defence in Athens to discuss strengthening bilateral ties.
During the meeting, Ambassador Duncan presented Dendias with a limited-edition silver proof coin released by the Royal Australian Mint to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the Greece and Crete campaigns of the Second World War.
The coin honours the role played by Australian forces who fought alongside the Greek Army and civilians during the Nazi invasion of Greece in April 1941, a campaign remembered as a defining chapter in the shared history of both nations.
According to a statement shared by the Australian Embassy, the commemorative release serves as a tribute to the enduring friendship and mutual respect between Australia and Greece, forged through wartime sacrifice.
In a post on X, Dendias said the meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the defence sector, with particular emphasis on innovation.
“Today, at the Ministry of National Defence, I had a meeting with the Australian Ambassador, Alison Duncan, who presented me with a commemorative coin, on the occasion of the 85th Anniversary of the Battle of Crete,” he wrote.
“We discussed, among other things, issues related to the further strengthening of bilateral cooperation between Greece and Australia in the defence sector, emphasising innovation.”
The meeting reflects continued diplomatic and defence engagement between Australia and Greece, building on a shared legacy established during the Second World War.
