EVROS – President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Thursday visited the village of Ptelea in the Evros Triangle, near the border with Turkey and Bulgaria, paying homage to the Greeks of Thrace and the memory of the ancestors of the area’s current residents, who arrived from Asia Minor as refugees.

“I am here today, in northern Evros, to honour the Thracian Greeks who continue their course through time with strength and dignity. To honour the memory of the ancestors of the present residents who, as refugees from Asia Minor, came here and converted collective pain into the breath of life,” Sakellaropoulou said.

She was given a warm reception by the residents in the village square, who noted that this was the first time that a president of Greece had visited the village. The president spoke with local residents, many of whom were wearing traditional dress and had brought traditional delicacies.

Earlier, President Sakellaropoulou visited the military Surveillance Outpost 126, where she was met by the commander of the Hellenic Army’s IV Army Corps Lieutenant General Ioannis Tsioplos.

She greeted the officers at the outpost and was briefed on its operation, then spoke with a chief sergeant on patrol via video call.

The president arrived a Alexandroupolis airport at 10:00, where she was received by the Deputy governor for Evros, Dimitris Petrovits, Alexandroupolis Mayor Yiannis Zaboukis, Metropolitan Anthimos and the representative of the armed forces.

The founder of the Ethnological Museum of Thrace Angela Giannakidou, who accompanied her on the visit to Ptelea, and the mayor then gave her a tour of a photography exhibition at the airport on the theme of violence against women, while she also met with representatives of the local authorities in the city.