A symbolic religious ceremony, to honor and bury the remains of Greek soldiers who fell in Albania during the Greco-Italian war of 1940-1941, was held at the military cemetery of Kelcyre in Albania on Thursday, was announced by the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The ceremony was held with all honours, for the burial of the remains of 85 Greek soldiers who fell in the Greco-Italian war, and whose remains were recovered in the framework of the Greek-Albanian bilateral Agreement of 2009 on seeking, disinterring, identifying and burying the Greek soldiers who fell in military operations in Albania in 1940-1941.

The ceremony, officiated by Metropolitan Dimitrios of Gjirokaster, was attended by representatives of the Greek Ministry of Defence, the Greek Embassy in Tirana, and the Association of Relatives and Friends of the Fallen.

In a statement, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs “expresses its satisfaction that, almost 70 years after their sacrifice, the souls of the fallen Greek soldiers will finally rest in peace, and welcomes this cooperation with the Albanian side on a very sensitive and humanitarian issue, stressing the importance it attaches to the speedy completion of the fieldwork and the full implementation of this Greek-Albanian agreement.”