The President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Anastasiadis, and the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Mr. Konstantinos Zervas, referred to the fraternal ties between Cyprus and Thessaloniki, but also to Macedonia in general, and to the common struggles they have waged through the centuries. in Thessaloniki. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Mayor of Thessaloniki showed the President of the Republic an old juke box he keeps in his office, and together they listened to the song Chrysoprasino Fyllo.
Mr. Zervas welcomed this morning at the Municipal Hall of Thessaloniki the President of the Republic, his wife Mrs. Andri Anastasiadis and the members of the Cypriot delegation, while a procession of the Philharmonic of the Municipality paid tribute.
A personal meeting of the President and the Mayor followed and an exchange of souvenirs took place. The President of the Republic presented the Mayor with a silver copy of an ancient vessel and the Mayor presented the President with cufflinks with the figure of Alexander the Great in relief.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the Mayor of Thessaloniki showed the President of the Republic an old juke box he keeps in his office, and together they listened to the song Chrysoprasino Fyllo.
After their meeting, in his statements to the media, the Mayor of Thessaloniki welcoming the President said that “it was a great joy and honor for the Municipality of Thessaloniki and for me personally as Mayor of the city, to receive the President of the Republic of Cyprus and his wife at the City Hall of Thessaloniki.
The ties between Thessaloniki and Cyprus last for many years, the friendship and the common struggles between Greek Cypriots and Thessalonians are very deep.
The Mayor of Limassol at the beginning of the 20th century – Limassol is a twinned municipality with the Municipality of Thessaloniki – came as a volunteer in 1912 and although he had the opportunity to sit in Athens, he chose the front and lost his life in the battle of Bizani and that is something for which all Thessalonians should be grateful to our Cypriot brothers, because for many years ago they participated not only in common struggles, but also in the effort for the development, for the relations and for the evolution of the Greek race.
So, with deep roots of friendship, Thessaloniki has 'I do not forget' not just a slogan, but it has a daily thought and action, and in this context we support every effort of the Cypriot Government to justify our common struggle.
We also discussed everything that has to do with everyday life, for the Greek students in Cyprus, for the Cypriot students in Thessaloniki, for tourism, development and it is a pleasure to have the President often with us and to work for them. our common goals, our common aspirations and our common aspirations “.
For his part, the President of the Republic said that “it is really a special moment to meet with my friend the Mayor of my sister city of Limassol, Thessaloniki, and it was a special moment because the special ties between Cypriots and Macedonia, Cyprus and Thessaloniki.
The first Greek Cypriot soldier during the liberation of Thessaloniki was the then Mayor and Member of Parliament for Limassol Christodoulos Sozos, but also later in the 1940s Kyriakos Matsis who studied agriculture at the Aristotle University, then became one of the most important heroes of the liberation struggle. .
There is a bond of struggle between Macedonians and Cypriots, apart of course from the presence of thousands of Cypriots who have received education, education from the Aristotle University, beyond other bonds.
Just consider that seven thousand Cypriots live permanently in Thessaloniki, while another about four thousand students study at the Universities of Thessaloniki.
It was a really special meeting because we were given the opportunity to discuss issues not only about twinning and relations between the two cities, but also how we can further develop ties in the economy, tourism, education, health, and in general a closer cooperation between the cities, but also of Cyprus and Thessaloniki.
Thank you very much for the warm hospitality and in general for your contribution to our homeland, because it is not only the Cypriots who from time to time participated in the games of Polygenesis or later, there are also hundreds of Greek officers and soldiers who gave their lives to defend the independence and integrity of the Republic of Cyprus. We thank and thank them. “
