Alexandroupolis celebrated the 106th anniversary of its incorporation into the national body of Greece, in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Konstantinos Tasoulas.
Mr Tasoulas attended the Doxology celebrated at the Metropolitan Church of Saint Nicholas, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthimos of Alexandroupolis, Traianoupolis and Samothrace. Immediately afterwards, he laid a wreath at the Monument of Domna Visvizi in Lighthouse Square and made the following statement:
“Today we celebrate and honour the Liberation of Alexandroupolis and its incorporation into the national body of Greece 106 years ago. On the same day, Komotini was also liberated.
The liberation of Alexandroupolis by the Greek Army, by the Xanthi Division, which arrived at its port on 14 May 1920, was only the beginning. By 20 May, the whole of Western Thrace had been liberated.
The international legitimisation of the Greek military and political presence in Western Thrace was definitively secured through the Treaty of Lausanne. In 1920, the Greek Army liberated a small coastal settlement, which shortly thereafter was named Alexandroupolis. Today, a flourishing regional capital celebrates this anniversary.
Alexandroupolis and Evros constitute the geopolitical shield of Greece. Today, the city also serves as a gateway connecting Greece with the Balkans, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe. Alexandroupolis honours its freedom both as a shield of the nation and as a pillar of development and extroversion for Thrace and for Greece.”
President Tasoulas then visited the Scouts’ Memorial, where he was briefed on its history and spoke with young scouts. In 1920, one day before the entry of the Greek Army into Alexandroupolis, scouts were the first to raise the Greek flag. A parade of students, associations, and military units followed.
