Volunteers from three countries cleaned the Great Prespa

Three mayors from three different countries, along with their citizens, cleaned the beaches and its shores Great Prespa.

The initiative of the mayors Panagiotis Paschalidis (municipality Prespa), Jovan Tozievski (municipality of Resen, Northern Macedonia ), Again Kolefski (municipality of Pustec Albania) who share the Great Prespa, had as a common motto “Prespa without garbage! -Trash free Prespa “and took place in the context of the events for the World Environment Day.

On the Greek side of Prespa, schoolchildren and people of all ages, with the contribution of the municipality of Prespa in matters of logistical infrastructure, poured in the area of ​​the Koula outpost, at the junction of Little and Big Prespa, on the beach of EOT, as well as on the beach of the remote village of Psarades, collecting plastics, paper and all kinds of waste that contaminate the shores of the lake and pose a danger to birds and fish.

From photos and videos exchanged by the three mayors, it appears that many young children, as well as adults with their mayors in charge, combed the shores of the lake around the villages of the municipality of Pustec in Albania and Resen in northern Macedonia.

As the mayor of Prespa, Panagiotis Paschalidis, told APE-MPE, more than 350 volunteers from all three countries took part in the environmental action and covered a coastline of almost 100 km, in one of the largest and oldest lakes in the Balkans and Of Europe.

The three municipalities have many years of cooperation and actions for the protection of the environment and the sustainable development of the cross-border area of ​​Prespa, either on their own initiatives, or within European programs, or in the framework of cross-border cooperation for Prespa Park, which started with a Greek initiative in 2000 and today continues with even stronger ties. Mr. Paschalidis explained that the first meeting of the bodies of the cross-border park, with representatives from the three countries and the European Union, will take place on 23 and 24 June 2022 at the Prespa Gate.

Souvenirs, hats and T-shirts were distributed to the volunteers from all three countries, while the environmental actions are supported by the respective cross-border cooperation programs of the European Union, Interreg-IPA CBC Greece – Republic of North Macedonia, and Interreg-IPA CBC Greece – Albania .

Late in the afternoon, the three mayors met on the Greek side of Prespa in the Prespa Neck, where they exchanged views and shared experiences from the joint initiative with Mayor Panagiotis Paschalidis.