Three migrant fishermen have been sworn in as Greek citizens at the Interior Ministry on Thursday, after being granted Greek citizenship for their extraordinary courage during the deadly fire in Mati that occurred in July 2018.
Egyptian Emad El Khamist, his compatriot Mahmod Mesafer and Albanian Ervin Xheka, saved dozens of people who fled to the see to escape from the wall of fire sweeping down to Mati, in eastern Attica, on the night of July 23, 2018.
The three men were given citizenship as a recognition of their efforts despite great danger to their own lives, and were sworn in by Special Secretary for Citizenship Lambros Baltsiotis.
Interior Minister Alexis Chartists posted on his personal Facebook account that "Today is a day of great joy. We welcome Ervin Xheka, Mahmood Mesafer and Emad El Khamist as full and equal members of the Greek State."
Responding to Charitsis' post, Mesafer said, "I am proud to become Greek" and thanked among others "his homelands Greece and Egypt", Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Charitsis and SYRIZA MEP Kostadinka (Constantina) Kuneva.
Source: AMNA
