The historically strong ties between Greece and Britain were underlined by British Ambassador to Athens John Kittmer addressing the commemoration of the 187th anniversary of the naval battle of Navarino in Pylos, Peloponnese (20.10).

The naval Battle of Navarino was fought on October 20, 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821–32), in Navarino Bay (modern-day Pylos). An Ottoman armada was destroyed by an Allied force of British, French and Russian vessels. The sinking of the Ottomans' Mediterranean fleet saved the Greek struggle from collapse, but, eventually, it required additional future military interventions to secure Greek independence.

Ambassador Kittmer referred to the bravery and self-sacrifice of the men who were inspired by the liberal ideals of the Greek Revolution and gave their lives for Greece's independence.