Even within the current week, according to information from sources at the Ministry of National Defense, the establishment of an advisory committee, jointly with the Ministry of Culture, will be implemented, with the aim of identifying the best way to enhance and protect the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

According to the same sources, the committee will consist of five members. The outcome of its work is expected to be completed within a reasonable timeframe that will not exceed one month.

According to reliable information and barring unforeseen circumstances, sculptor Konstantinos Varotsos will be one of the members of the committee. It is noted that the redesign of the façade of the Ministry of National Defense and the “Ark of National Memory,” bearing the names of 121,692 fallen soldiers of the national struggles in the ministry’s courtyard, are the result of the sculptor’s collaboration with the ministry. This work has undoubtedly impressed even foreign visitors, most recently the delegation accompanying Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz, who met with Defense Minister Nikos Dendias.

Speaking to Ta Nea, Konstantinos Varotsos emphasized that the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier must be treated with the “due respect” and that “no changes should be made that would alter its image,” with any interventions taking the Acropolis as their model. That is, they should relate strictly to the maintenance and proper lighting of the monument.

It is recalled that since October 2025, responsibility for the maintenance, care, and enhancement of the monument and its surrounding area (approximately 4,600 square meters) was transferred from the Municipality of Athens to the Ministry of National Defense, and a ban was introduced on the use or occupation of the site for purposes other than visitation, with strict penalties for vandalism or damage.

A Space of Unity

Within this framework, the goal of the Ministry of National Defense is for the monument, as the President of the Republic has also stated, to be shielded from current political affairs.

“The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a space intertwined with national memory. A monument of respect for those who sacrificed themselves for the homeland and the nation. A space of unity and concord. It must not be used as a means of expressing political ambitions. It is an end in itself… It unites Greeks, now and forever. The Ministry of National Defense and the Armed Forces will not treat it as an object of political exploitation or social division,” Nikos Dendias stated characteristically on the occasion of the government amendment.

Sources at the Ministry of National Defense note that the aim of any actions is to foster unity, and for this reason it was not coincidental that a sufficient period of time was allowed to pass so that political tensions surrounding the issue could subside before the process of upgrading the monument began.