“The President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, referred to the historical tradition of Florina from Ancient Lygistida, the time of the Macedonian Kings, the participation of the inhabitants in the Greek Revolution up to the years of the Macedonian struggle with the two-front struggle against the Bulgarians and the Ottomans. during the protest at the ceremony of declaring her an Honorary citizen of the municipality of Florina.

Mrs. Sakellaropoulou, speaking in the packed hall of the city’s Spiritual Center, spoke about the feeling of the Greek critics where they “experience with greater intensity than anyone else their national identity, their relationship with the roots and the concept of the homeland” making extensive reference to all the historical events that marked today’s Florina.

“The ancient inhabitants of Florina embraced the vision of M. Alexander and followed him to the Indus River, while King Philip built the ancient Heraklia in this area, while after its conquest in 1385 by the Ottomans, its inhabitants participated in all the chariots that operated in the area”.

He spoke about the participation of the Akriti city in the Greek Revolution, pointing out that “its inhabitants paid a heavy blood tax with the annihilation of all the city’s elites by the Ottomans».

He made an extensive reference to the events of the Macedonian struggle, saying that “there was a two-front struggle against the Ottomans and the Bulgarian comitatzis for the defense of the ancestral land, the Greek language and education as well as the Orthodox faith”.

He referred to an important personality of the Macedonian struggle, Captain Kotta, but also to Nikolaos Pyrzas and Petros Hatzitasis who, as he underlined, “helped the armed corps of Pavlos Melas and were witnesses to his tragic end”.

“Although Florina lived 527 years of slavery until it was incorporated into the national body on November 7, 1912, and although the invaders implemented policies of assimilation, the Greek spirit of the inhabitants of the area remained rigid and unslaved” noted Ms. Sakellaropoulou, emphasizing that “today we honor the struggles and sacrifices of the people of Florina with an eye on the future and the modern challenges facing the place».

Mrs. Sakellaropoulou expressed her satisfaction with the municipal authority’s initiatives regarding “the regeneration of areas of historical importance and natural beauty” as he characterized the district on the river Sakuleva as well as the efforts made to save and highlight historical buildings “that remind visitors of the wealth and grandeur of earlier times when the tobacco trade flourished in the city” . Referring to the de-lignitization that is rapidly changing the face of the region, she stated that “quick remedial actions must be taken to address the multiple effects such as high youth unemployment».

“Although the uncritical Florina as a setting of the era may preserve in the collective memory something of the melancholic gaze of Theodoros Angelopoulos who immortalized it in his cinematographic lens in Meteor step of the stork as well as in his other films” the president of the Republic pointed out that “today’s Florina is a lively student town with a remarkable cultural and social life and that looks to the future with optimism.»

Concluding her objection and addressing the mayor, the municipal council and the citizens who had filled the hall of the Spiritual Center, she stated that “as a citizen of the city, I will now closely monitor all efforts to highlight the progress and prosperity of this blessed place ».

In his address, the mayor Vassilis Giannakis referred to the participation of Floriniota in all the struggles for freedom “from their participation in the Greek Revolution and the Macedonian struggle to the war of 1940″ stating that “we were present in all the struggles for the independence of the country». Referring to the call for lignitization, he spoke about the municipal authority’s plans to make Florina a green municipality.

The unanimous decision of the municipal council to declare Ms. Sakellaropoulou an honorary citizen of the municipality of Florina was read out by its president, Kostas Maragos, while then the mayor, Vassilis Giannakis, presented her with the golden key of the city.

Earlier, the President of the Republic, responding to the invitation of the Labor Center of Florina, unveiled the “worker’s monument”.

The work was created by the Assistant Professor of the Department of Visual and Applied Arts of PDM, Sculptor Filippos Kalamaras. In their short greeting, the president of GSEE, Yiannis Panagopoulos, stated that “workers should not be remembered only in elections” while the president of the Labor Center of Florina, Kostas Siakos, who also had the idea of ​​the monument, emphasized that “the monument is dedicated to the workers and their struggles».

The event was attended by ND MP Stavros Papasotiriou, New Left MP Peti Perkas, the mayors of Amyntaio and Prespo, the Metropolitan of Florina, representatives of the University community of PDM, the president of GSEE Yiannis Panagopoulos and representatives of the commercial and business world of area.