Ceremony for Greek WWI Victims in Serbia

By Stella Tsolakidou on September 21, 2012

 

The annual ceremony honoring the memories of the Greek victims of World War I in Serbia was held at the military cemetery of Pirot, southeastern Serbia. The ceremony was organized by the defence attaché of the Greek Embassy to Belgrade, Brigadier General Apostolos Kostopoulos.
The Pirot Military Cemetery is the resting place of 358 Greek soldiers and riflemen of the 3rd Division of Patras, who died in battles from Oct. 3, 1918-Jan. 28, 1919 during the Entente Cordiale operations. The division entered Pirot, approaching the borders between Serbia and Bulgaria aiming to prevent a potential Bulgarian retaliation.
The memorial service was attended by the Mayor of Patras Yiannis Dimaras, Greek Ambassador to Belgrade Dimosthenis Stoidis, Greek Embassy press counsellor Petros Tsarouchis, the Mayor of Pirot, representatives of the Serbian government, families of the fallen WW I soldiers, representatives of the Greek community in Serbia and many more visitors.
The Greek Ambassador told local media that the ceremony is proof of the historically strong ties binding the people of the two countries. “The ideals of freedom and national independence have once again entered the front stage in modern times and it is important that we learn from our history and experiences,” added Stoidis.