ATHENS – “We are all close to you, your families and your teachers,” President Prokopios Pavlopoulos said on Tuesday to youngsters at a Rafina high school, on the first day of school for children throughout Greece.

“Throughout the region and specifically in this area that was hurt by the fires, the atmosphere for your families and your teachers, is extremely difficult. Everyone’s memory is dominated by the unprecedented disaster of the fire of 23 July and, above all, of its tragic victims, who were so unfairly lost,” the President of the Republic stressed, adding:

“One could easily tell you: forget everything and only look towards the future. I will tell you something different: do not forget. May this lasting memory be the due and just memorial to the souls of our fellow human beings that have been lost so unfairly. This memory must constantly symbolise the lesson of what should never happen again; what your generation should do to avoid repeating big and painful mistakes. Memory must teach us that we should not let tragedies overcome us. On the contrary, they have to steer our mental powers and skills so that we are ready to face the future adversities of life. I close my speech with the following words: memory, strength, reflection, and determination. We are all close to you, to your families, to your teachers.”