Tribute from Italian President - see what RAI said
Italian President
29 Oct 2018
/ 06:14
CORFU. Following Thessaloniki and Cephalonia, the Italian President Sergio Mattarella - who had been invited by the Greek President - concluded his symbolic visit to Greece in Corfu.
The President of Italy Sergio Mattarella arrived in Corfu yesterday evening. Accompanied by representatives from the local authority and the armed forces as well as Italian residents, he visited the Greek-Italian Friendship Monument in the People's Garden. In the presence of a guard of honour he laid a wreath to honour the 75th anniversary of the massacre of the Italian Acqui Brigade before returning to Rome at the end of his visit to Greece on the invitation of Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
Mr. Mattarella arrived on the island from Cephaloni, where, together with the Greek President he had laid wreaths at the Memorial to the fallen of the Acqui Division and the National Resistance Monument. Prior to that the two Presidents had attended the morning military parade in Thessaloniki, laying wreaths to the 3rd Military Corps.
On the anniversary of the declaration of war between Italy and Greece and with the presence of the Italian President in Greece, there were of course reports from the Italian and international media. The Italian TV channel RAI commented: "The two Presidents honoured the day when Greece said OXI (NO) to Mussolini's ultimatum in the 2nd World War. Their message today was that the peace which was established must continue and be safeguarded within the European Union. Countries which were once at war now co-exist in conditions of cooperation..."
The two Presidents made similar statements. In Cephalonia, Mr. Pavlopoulos said: "We are demonstrating that Greece and Italy are leaving behind that which separated us in the past. Learning from our bitter experience of fascism and its criminal collaboration with nazism, we declare our firm determination to fight against all extreme and dangerous anti-European forms of populism, wherever they may appear, which yearn for fascism and nazism. We will support the European Edifice against them - never again to experience the nightmares of the past."
See more photos from Stamatis Katapodis here.
Mr. Mattarella arrived on the island from Cephaloni, where, together with the Greek President he had laid wreaths at the Memorial to the fallen of the Acqui Division and the National Resistance Monument. Prior to that the two Presidents had attended the morning military parade in Thessaloniki, laying wreaths to the 3rd Military Corps.
On the anniversary of the declaration of war between Italy and Greece and with the presence of the Italian President in Greece, there were of course reports from the Italian and international media. The Italian TV channel RAI commented: "The two Presidents honoured the day when Greece said OXI (NO) to Mussolini's ultimatum in the 2nd World War. Their message today was that the peace which was established must continue and be safeguarded within the European Union. Countries which were once at war now co-exist in conditions of cooperation..."
The two Presidents made similar statements. In Cephalonia, Mr. Pavlopoulos said: "We are demonstrating that Greece and Italy are leaving behind that which separated us in the past. Learning from our bitter experience of fascism and its criminal collaboration with nazism, we declare our firm determination to fight against all extreme and dangerous anti-European forms of populism, wherever they may appear, which yearn for fascism and nazism. We will support the European Edifice against them - never again to experience the nightmares of the past."
See more photos from Stamatis Katapodis here.
