President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias on Sunday attended official celebrations marking the 96th anniversary of Thessaloniki's liberation from Ottoman rule, and the feast day of the city's patron Saint Demetrios.

The celebrations commenced with a doxology, after which national defence minister Evangelos Meimarakis, who represented the government, noted that the anniversary "reminds us of one of the most glorious pages or our history".

Main opposition PASOK MP Haris Katanidis said that the anniversary of the liberation of Thessaloniki posed an opportunity to think again of the need for liberation of the people's expectations, in other words the advent of a better future for the citizens and the country, while fellow PASOK MP Yiannis Magriotis said that the citizens demand change, and an exit from the crisis to which ruling New Democracy government's policy was leading.

Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) leader George Karatzaferis stressed that this was a great day for Thessaloniki and Macedonia, adding that 'we must all take care to safeguard the grandness of this celebration in the future".

Source : Athens news