Papoulias attends 70th anniversary of El Alamein battle

President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias on Saturday expressed a wish for "better days in Greece", as he attended ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the historic battle of El Alamein, which turned the tide for the Allies in North Africa during WWII. He expressed conviction that the "spiritual strength" possessed by Greeks will allow them to overcome any crisis, even if they were now suffering greatly.

In statements at the moving ceremony, Papoulias also pointed out that Greece was among the few countries that had stood up to the forces of Nazism and fascism during that time, fighting against them in the mountains of central Macedonia, then at Tempi with the Allies, then at the Battle of Crete, through the action of the resistance throughout the 1941-1944 occupation of the country and through the action of the Greek army in North Africa.

Papoulias was accompanied by Defence Minister Panos Panagiotopoulos and Deputy Foreign Minister for expatriate affairs Constantine Tsiaras. Panagiotopoulos also addressed a national ceremony in memory of the Greeks fallen and injured in battle at the Greek El Alamein memorial.

SOURCE: ATHENS NEWS AGENCY