Greece honours "the bravery and self-sacrifice of the Souliotes"

Greece honoured "the bravery and self-sacrifice of the Souliotes and all those that fought heroically to be free of the Ottoman yoke," on Sunday in Souli.

In attendance was the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, accompanied by Deputy Digital Governance Minister Georgios Stylios, Chairperson of the Greece 2021 Committee Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki, MPs, Epirus Region governor Alexandros Kachrimanis and representatives of local government.

The dignitaries attended doxology at the Church of Sts Constantine and Helen, and later laid wreaths at the Vouleftirio where a memorial service was held.

"With emotion I am in the heroic Souli, the proud place whose name is a timeless symbol of the struggle for freedom. We honour the memory of these brave souls, the women of Zalongos, the men who were blown up in Kougi, the brave warriors who passed through these mountains and valleys like a sacred fire that will always shine, with its brilliant light, the fate of Hellenism," the Greek President stated.

She also spoke about the heroic events and figures of the Souliotes' resistance against the Ottoman Turks, which according to local tradition dated back to 1635, culminating in the war against Ali Pasha.

"In Souli, men and women gave the deepest meaning to the concept of self-sacrifice. We are grateful to them for their bravery and we are inspired by their vision," Sakellaropoulou concluded.

*More on GCT: Greece’s foreign ministry reacted strongly to repeated statements by Turkish FM Cavusoglu referring to a “Turkish minority”