The great wounds opened by the fires in Evros and especially those in the forest of Dadia were at the center of the meeting held by the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou with the mayor of Soufli Panagiotis Kalakikos, representatives of agencies, professionals and entrepreneurs.

Opening the discussion, Mrs. Sakellaropoulou spoke about the anxiety that came over her, as soon as she learned about the fires in the forest of Dadia, for the additional reason that she had visited it, after her election to the Presidency of the Republic, and had been guided to the Information Center. Agonizing over the fate of birds of prey, such as the black vulture, that nested in the forest, but also the wider effects of the fires.

He pointed out the fact that a separate chapter of Evros, which is the natural wealth it possesses, was at risk, and emphasized that now it is even more necessary to support the region.

The mayor of Soufli, Panagiotis Kalakikos, issued a danger signal for further desolation of the Evros prefecture, as several professions are being hit hard by the fires, and asked for brave and bold decisions to be taken to prevent such a development.

The situation in beekeeping is tragic, according to the data presented by the former mayor of Soufli and president of the Beekeeping Association of Central Evros, Paschalis Christodoulou.

Autumn is the most important season for beekeeping, beekeepers have nowhere to go for bees to find unburnt areas, and the beekeeping park may not have burned, but it was severely damaged by the high heat load caused by the fires.

He proposed to create two more beekeeping parks in Lefkimmi and Kirki.

A representative of the business world said that businessmen have ready proposals for the development of the area.

During the meeting, the need to protect the forest of Dadia and develop alternative tourism was also emphasized.

The problems of the consequences on animal husbandry and logging were raised.

Referring to the immigrants who were found charred in the forest of Dadia, Mr. Christodoulou suggested that the “Monument of the Burnt People” be erected.

Participants in the meeting offered the President of the Republic products from businesses that were at risk, but ultimately survived the fires (winery, cheese factory).

Ms. Sakellaropoulou said that her interest in Evros is intense and she often visits the area. Her previous visit was on August 15th.

With her visit to Dadia, she wanted to express her support for those affected by the fires and talk to the residents.

For symbolic reasons, last night he spent the night in a guesthouse in Lefkimmi, a village of 180 inhabitants that was evacuated three times and finally saved from the flames.

The flames reached a distance of about 400 meters from the “Petrified Forest” guesthouse, where the President of the Republic spent the night.

The owner of the hostel, Zacharias Boubopoulos, told us that the hostel was also evacuated three times. He is a fossil collector and has created a museum of fossils up to 40 million years old next to the guesthouse.

All three times the evacuation was ordered he took the museum’s transportable fossils with him in a truck to protect them from the fire.

“I was very scared. It is very difficult to feel that tomorrow morning you will not exist”, Mr. Boubopoulos told us about the difficult days with the fires.

As soon as she arrived in Dadia, Ms. Sakellaropoulou was applauded by the residents and the meeting took place on the pavement of the square.

The meeting was also attended by the thematic deputy governor Vassilis Delistamatis, the cattle breeder Costas Pistolas, the head of the Thrace Biodiversity Society Dora Skartsi, the loggers Vangelis Binekis, Pyrelis Hussein, George Tsakiris from the “Tsakiris” Silk House, Apostolos Alexoudis from the hotel ” The Koukouli”, in Soufli and the president of the professionals, merchants and artisans of Soufli and the region, Theodoros Tsiamitas.