Kalantzis emphasised that supporting Islam in Thrace remains a priority for the Greek government underscoring a long-standing policy to foster religious inclusivity within the region During his visit, Kalantzis met with Mufti Jihat Khalil, the religious leader of Greece’s Muslim minority to discuss ways to enhance the services provided by the mufti’s office The talks focused on bolstering support for the mufti’s work and improving the resources available to the community Kalantzis also visited the Muslim Seminary of Komotini where he held discussions with the teaching staff about the institution’s progress and challenges Key topics included support for innovative educational initiatives and improving religious instruction ensuring that students receive a well-rounded religious and secular education “Greece made this choice a long time ago and continues to support it with a lot of fervour,” Kalantzis stated highlighting the government’s enduring dedication to upholding the cultural and religious identity of the Muslim community in Thrace Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus visited the city of Komotini to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus an official Doxology was performed at the Holy Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Komotini to welcome Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus The service was attended by representatives from political and military authorities along with institutions and cultural associations from the region Archbishop Georgios presided over a solemn Memorial Service in honor of the Cypriot Heroes who were killed by the Turks during the tragic 1974 Turkish invasion of martyred Cyprus Metropolitan Panteleimon of Maroneia and Komotini personally thanked Archbishop Georgios and expressed his deep gratitude for the Archbishop’s visit He also conveyed his hope that the Archbishop’s brief stay in Komotini would carry significant importance in emphasizing the unity of the sister nations He also expressed his wish for the immediate and just resolution of the current situation a commemorative event titled “Hymn and Lament for Cyprus” was held at the Papanikolaou Foundation organized by the Association of Cypriots of Rodopi with the presence of a large and engaged audience The Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate approved on October 4th the canonization of Eldress Sophia Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew traveled by air to Antalya the Patriarchate of Jerusalem solemnly celebrated the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women... Archbishop Elpidophoros of America celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of the Theotokos.. it was announced that two Roman Catholic institutions in Bavaria have decided to jointly.. A car once used by Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem is being transformed into a mobile.. (function() { window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { listeners: [] cb) { window.mc4wp.listeners.push( { event : evt callback: cb } ); } } }})(); © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website construction started on the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) General Hospital of Komotini and construction on the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki and the new SNF General Hospital of Sparta will start soon This is a major milestone in the development of the three state-of-the-art new SNF public hospitals which are part of SNF’s Global Health Initiative’s (GHI) In the spirit of open and transparent communication SNF seeks with the public cameras have been installed at site where the new SNF General Hospital of Komotini is being built and we invite you to track progress at the construction site on the SNF website via the feed from these cameras Feeds from the construction sites of the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki and the new SNF General Hospital of Sparta will be available soon Construction of the new hospital in Komotini is expected to be completed by the end of 2026 Niarchos Foundation for Charity conducts its activities as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and is known as SNF SNF does not necessarily share the views or opinions of the nonprofit organizations that it supports or otherwise assists or of the participants in SNF programming such as SNF Dialogues and SNF Nostos and no inference of any endorsement of such views or opinions is warranted Audio and video recordings of SNF programming are made available without charge on the SNF website as a courtesy to the public The factual accuracy of statements made by participants not employed by SNF or its affiliates is solely the responsibility of the participants or the institutions or organizations they represent SNF is audited by Grant Thornton and complies with all applicable laws and regulations in all relevant jurisdictions President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Turkish Minority of Western Thrace and the elected Mufti of Komotini Source: Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye Sources close to Eugenia report that she endured escalating abuse including physical beatings and threats intended to silence her preventing her from leaving their home and cutting off communication with her friends Eugenia was admitted to the emergency room at Sismanoglio Hospital in Komotini with severe injuries She was immediately transferred to the intensive care unit at Alexandroupoli General Hospital Her partner initially claimed that Eugenia’s injuries resulted from a fall suspecting inconsistencies in his account due to the extent and nature of her injuries Forensic pathologist Pavlos Pavlidis confirmed that Eugenia’s injuries were consistent with blunt force trauma rather than a fall and it wasn’t from a fall but from a blow There were wounds all over her body… I called the police and said it wasn’t the fall into the canal,” Pavlidis stated The Komotini Domestic Violence Department subsequently took over the investigation was remanded in custody at Komotini prison Eugenia continued to fight for her life until January 3rd when she tragically passed away in a specialized hospital in Bulgaria where her family had transferred her for treatment Her family’s lawyers have confirmed they will submit her death certificate to authorities which will result in the charges against her partner being upgraded to homicide Copious amounts of Vergina beer are flowing at a downtown bar where university students and off-duty Greek soldiers alternate between swigs of the local lager and drags on their cigarettes.  Above the beat of a Greek pop song a group of shabbily dressed young men eye the crowd “These two are Greek for sure,” Hasan nods at a nearby table “You mean Christian and Muslim,” George responds wryly.  everyone appears to be a rookie anthropologist debating the region’s rich past and cosmopolitan present.  The province derives its name from historical Thrace, which today also includes parts of Turkey and southern Bulgaria the area was a trampling ground of empires - Roman It remains a transition zone between east and west is a hodgepodge of architecture from bygone eras: neoclassical mansions and old terracotta roofed shops with jutting upper storeys Turkish and Greek echo throughout Eirinis Square the Greek Orthodox of Istanbul and the islands of Imbros and Tenedos were exempt from the exchange. Istanbul's Greek Orthodox community were keen to remain in the city where they had long prospered which is also home to the Patriarchate of Constantinople Turkey won a concession for Muslims to remain along its border in Western Thrace the minorities became “mutual hostages” of the rival neighbours an expert on Western Thrace at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki “A unique feature of the Lausanne Treaty was that it codified reciprocal treatment of the minorities,” he said The Greek government responded with its own policy of “administrative harassment” The mainly ethnic Turkish minority was prevented from buying or selling land and couldn’t obtain loans They faced arbitrary arrest and were denied driver’s licenses In the early 1990s, their frustration boiled over into social unrest Then-prime minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis (the father of Greece’s current leader) lifted the policy and pledged the minority “equality before the law”.  But unlike their Christian Greek counterparts in Turkey the Muslim minority in Western Thrace is still sizable today - about a third of the region’s 350,000 residents It remains a flashpoint in the geopolitical competition between Greece and Turkey.  The banter in Hasan and George’s bar reflects the main dispute: what to call the minority. Ankara asserts it is Turkish, while Greece, referencing the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and wary of Turkey’s influence on its territory officially recognises a Muslim minority.   the alleys of Komotini reverberate to the click of Komboloi “Hardcore members of MIT are everywhere in Thrace,” he tells MEE using the acronym for Turkey’s intelligence service Colakali claims that Turkish agents once offered him cash to write favourable news coverage of Ankara and its activities in Western Thrace.  “I didn’t take it But I have many journalist friends who did,” he said nobody needs to be paid or pressured to be critical of Greece’s treatment of its own citizens living in Western Thrace,” he told MEE.  But Colakali’s claims add to a picture of what academics and politicians describe as Turkey’s outsized grip over the minority the gated Turkish consulate in the centre of Komotini epitomises the long arm of Ankara’s foreign policy in this isolated Greek border region.  “The consulate has a big budget to distribute allowances and money to support the minority and organisations It is a kind of intervention that Greece doesn’t want to have,” Kosta Tsitselikis a specialist in Balkan studies at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki “The Turkish consulate in Komotini operates like a colonial power,” said Abdul a prominent member of the minority who spoke using a pseudonym over security concerns “People are afraid to say one tiny thing of criticism against Turkey or they will have problems The headquarters of The Friendship, Equality, and Peace (KIEF) party is located on a leafy street in downtown Komotini. KIEF calls itself "a political party of the Greek state Many in Greece see it as a trojan horse of the Turkish government operating within Greece's political system.  In the party leader Cigdem Asafoglu’s office Greek and Turkish flags adorn a bare brick wall “We as a party advocate that this minority is Turkish,” she told MEE 'People are afraid to say one tiny thing of criticism against Turkey or they will have problems' prominent member of Western Thrace minority Asafoglu said that KIEF’s platform has grassroots support pointing to strong performances in European parliamentary elections “The minority overwhelmingly says it is Turkish,” she said Others say there is little room for dissent from Ankara’s line With his short-cropped white hair and rimless glasses Ilhan Ahmet looks more like a provincial accountant than a politician from this hardscrabble farming region He is an MP with Greece’s socialist Pasok party one of three minority members in the Greek parliament “It's a fact that members of the minority are more afraid of criticising Turkey than Greece,” Ahmet told MEE.  He is embroiled in a feud with the Turkish consulate. This summer he was ousted from a prominent minority advisory board for being “not one of us, but Greek”, accused of losing “all emotional ties to the minority” He believes Turkey uses the minority to stew tensions with Greece I think Turkey wants to keep the minority separate Statistics on the minority are hard to come by. Greece says it consists of three subgroups: 15 percent Roma; 35 percent Pomaks Slavic Muslims who speak a dialect similar to Bulgarian; and the remaining 50 percent are Greeks of “Turkish descent” The Treaty of Lausanne brushed aside questions of ethnicity and language, assigning new national identities based on religion, so that Greek-speaking Muslims and Turkish-speaking Christians were forced out of their homelands.  The minority went from being subjects of an empire to citizens of a nation-state albeit one they felt little connection to. “At the time of the Lausanne Treaty those who attended university studied in "the motherland" graduates still receive scholarships across the border and most people get their news from Turkish television.  The Treaty of Lausanne allows minority children to be educated in special schools many children are sent to minority schools where lessons are in both Greek and Turkish though the number going to state schools is increasing Athens has been accused of favouring Roma and Pomak ethnic identities over Turkish Critics say Greece allows associations to register as legal entities that contain the word “Pomak” though they operate unofficially. “As adamant Ankara is that the minority is fully Turkish Greece tries to resist by emphasising the other ethnicities,” Aarbakke from Aristotle University said.   Experts say both Greece and Turkey have promoted organisations and cultural groups in a battle for influence over the minority “Each one tries to attract persons to their side,” Aarbakke said “They do that through money and supporting associations.” The tussle has led to some bizarre hairsplitting The Turkish Youth Union of Komotini sits in a peaceful corner of the city The Union occupies a building owned by the Komotini Waqf The Waqf is viewed by some as aligned with Athens while the Union is seen as close to Turkey.  “Because the association has no legal status and can't establish a contract The battle over registering minority organisations that describe themselves as Turkish has played out in the courts Greece’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal from the Turkish Union of Xanthi to register on “national security and public order grounds” The Union cited a European Court of Human Rights ruling that it should be allowed.  Its president Ozan Ahmetoglu said it had a constitutional right to register and defended the inclusion of "Turkish” in the association’s name. "Why is your name important to you?" he asked rhetorically Would you like it if I called you another name?” accused Athens of attacking its citizens’ right to self-identification “Members of the Turkish minority already feel the burden of being treated as a national security problem by their own state apparatus,” he said a local MP from Rodope with the right-wing New Democracy ruling party He said Greece had created "an open European society" in Western Thrace that "celebrated its ethnic and religious diversity" accusing Turkey of seeking to "homogenise" the minority.  “Everyone in Greece has the right to self-identification This is a personal right for every human being but not a common right when it implies collective identity with a state,” he said.  Looming behind Greek concerns is the ethnically divided island of Cyprus Ankara invaded Cyprus in 1974 in the name of protecting the Turkish minority after a failed coup attempted to unite the island with Greece Cyprus remains split between the official republic in the south and a government in the north where 40,000 Turkish troops are stationed.  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Western Thrace and raised the prospect of changes to the Lausanne Treaty that defines the two countries’ borders and outlines the rights of the Muslim and Christian minorities The comments sent a shockwave through Greece.  Concerns in Athens that Turkey harbours revisionist designs over its territory have only heightened with Erdogan’s recent rhetoric Over the summer, Erdogan made a veiled threat to invade Greece, saying Turkey, “could come suddenly one night”. He has boasted that a missile could hit Athens “unless you stay calm” “We have just seen one war erupt in Europe with a country claiming it must protect an ethnic minority,” Anastasios Chatzivasileiou a New Democracy MP and advisor to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis which Moscow justified in-part on protecting ethnic Russians.  “The Muslim minority should be a bridge between Greece and Turkey,” he added “Thrace is an example that Christians and Muslims can live together in peace It should not be part of Turkey's revisionist plans for the Balkans Greece was the only non-Muslim country in the world that officially applied Shariah law a legacy of the Treaty of Lausanne that stipulated that the minority would be able to live under its traditional and Islamic customs Greek civil courts even deferred matters of divorce giving members of the Muslim minority the ability to take cases to civil court Shariah only applies if both parties consent to go before an Islamic judge Western Thrace is home to 240 mosques, the highest ratio of active mosques per Muslim citizen in Europe. Just like Greek Orthodox priests, state-appointed imams and muftis receive their salary from the Greek government Athens says muftis must be appointed by the state - and not directly elected from the minority as Turkey calls for - because they serve as administrators and judges whose decisions are still legally binding.   Thrace is home to two unofficial ones that are funded by Turkey and elected by the minority “What we want is religious autonomy,” Ibrahim Serif Calls for the direct election of muftis is a sensitive issue Outside of Komotini a more traditional image of Western Thrace emerges passes through small villages where mustachioed men in skullcaps and old women in colorful headscarves appear out of high-walled gardens The minarets of restored Ottoman-era mosques glisten against the forested Rhodope mountain range on the horizon.  Mufti candidates are shortlisted by an advisory board made up of local members Greece’s education minister picks from the list sees the process as an attempt to sidestep direct elections and curtail the minority's ties to Turkey We are Muslims,” He told MEE.  “It’s not possible to maintain our identity without the government of Turkey Our existence depends on Turkey’s existence."  The swirling mix of languages and cultures in Western Thrace makes the region fertile ground for the rivalry between Greece and Turkey While the minority is often caught in between with an elite that courts both sides.  these issues aren’t so much problems of the minority as they are problems of Greece and Turkey,” Aarbakke told MEE "The elite do not see problems to be solved so much as things to build a political career on." Western Thrace is one of the poorest places in the European Union. According to the Greek government, 29 percent of the population here and in neighboring East Macedonia are at risk of poverty. One in three people work in agriculture The sprawling Thracian plain is carefully segmented by wheat and tobacco fields Clumps of unpicked cotton drift along the main highway.  “There is still a huge financial gap between the minority and majority,” Colakali “But when it comes to everyday life there is not a big difference." an expert on Western Thrace at the University of Athens said that while the minority’s elite are mainly pro-Turkish a larger segment of society was starting to see itself outside the narrow confines of Athens and Ankara's rivalry.  but I don’t relate to the guy from Istanbul either "Every day people have other concerns,” said Dragona who spent years working in Western Thrace on reform of minority education.  is the easy mixing of young people at bars and cafes in downtown Komotini which would have been unthinkable in the past.  Twenty-five years ago they were a completely separate community."  The shift has been driven by Greece's efforts to integrate the minority after decades of isolation and state harassment which left many unable to even speak the Greek language Today, Athens imposes a quota system in universities mandating at least half a percentage of all seats for minority students and has relaxed Greece's notoriously difficult testing requirements. In 1997, 100 minority students entered Greek universities; by 2018 more than 500 were enrolling each year.  aided by the city's 16,000 university students Another round of Vergina beer is flowing at the bar Hunger has replaced the need for drink and talk turns to getting mezze a delicious mix of dips and dishes that is a confluence of the cultures and peoples from across this region Copyright © 2014 - 2025. Middle East Eye Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters Middle East Eye          ISSN 2634-2456                      The sun was setting in the center of Komotini when suddenly cannon fire was heard None of the numerous patrons at the local cafes was disturbed “The sound signifies the end of the Ramadan fast that lasts from sunrise to sunset,” a passer-by explained There is also a similar cannon that fires at dawn to herald the beginning some people would go out in the Muslim neighborhoods before dawn It is very barbaric to wake up like this if you are not fasting.” This cannon firing was our welcome to a city with many unknown codes for the visitor and a charming medley of people from different groups coexisting harmoniously Thrace makes you think about how great empires once used to be Little evidence from the past survives in Komotini: A small section of a Byzantine wall stones from the floor plan of a local synagogue There are also the neighborhoods of the 1922 refugees who came from Turkey the Muslim quarter which in some places resembles labyrinthine mansions Armenians and descendants of East Thracians There was no better person for this job than psychiatrist Garo Esayan who talked to us about the psychologically complex past and the even more complex present of Komotini My father was one of the first Armenians to marry a Greek woman My grandfather spoke only Armenian and Turkish I had also started to learn Turkish through the fairy tales he told me I was not even 5 years old when he decided to talk to me about the massacres of 1915 It took me a long time to say a word in that language again I grew up next to Muslims and we all played together as kids a cosmopolitan jeweler who traveled from Antwerp to Lebanon was extremely popular with the Muslim minority Everyone in this city carried their experiences but they did not poison their daily life but I will not blame it on my neighbor or fellow citizen simply because his name is Mehmet,” Esayan one of the 200 Armenians living in the city today We were sitting in the traditional Cuma cafe there was mismanagement by the Greek state in this matter,” he says and they couldn’t get a permit to repair it or get a driver’s license So then they collected their money and sent it to Turkey; they bought houses there Today this has proved to be a ‘tool’ when the Turkish consulate based in the city [on the basis of the Lausanne Treaty for non-exchangeable population] wants to manipulate them they crossed the [Evros] river [that separates Greece from Turkey] to the other side they are flattered to have a powerful guardian like the Turkish state But they don’t like the way of life in Turkey “In 1990 I returned to Komotini after many years of living abroad I remember this image that was typical of many Muslims They would cross the road with their heads bent down they didn’t dare to see if a car was coming When I opened the clinic at that time in the center of Komotini many of my colleagues thought that I was committing professional suicide psychiatry in Paris and received further training in Lausanne going to a psychiatrist was taboo in the countryside I believed I had a lot to offer and I was vindicated both at my office and as a teacher at the Democritus University People – Christians and Muslims – needed help I felt a sense of fulfillment that I wouldn’t have felt if I had lived abroad,” Esayan says The Muslim minority “began to breathe again” from 1990 onward with the law of then education minister (and later prime minister) George Papandreou that allowed them to send their children to Greek universities though a quota “The possibility of being educated in Greek universities and having a European passport has given wings to the new generation of Muslims,” Esayan says “Many times I have received an email from London or Amsterdam from the child of a member of the minority who is living and working abroad to make an appointment for his mother or father who live in a village.” “It is two different cultures that coexist but do not merge The two communities are not communicating vessels and the Muslim will go to pay his respects to the Christian friend or neighbor This is a place where you’re immediately labeled is that youngsters from all communities are migrating My two boys and my brother’s son are all doctors Two live in the US and one in Switzerland with no plans to return The Esayans are now finished in Komotini.” At a time when local youth are migrating abroad due to unemployment and poor wages thousands of students arrive every year from all parts of Greece is in her second year of law school and describes the city as a “school of empathy.” “What they say about Komotini is that you cry twice: once when you find out you’ve been accepted at university here I wanted to see a distant and unknown part of my homeland I had heard very good things about my school not only about the quality of studies but also the fact that the youth wings of political parties do not have a strong presence at the university I was surprised when I first saw the two communities coexisting and women wearing headscarves when I heard the imam’s call to prayer during the day You become more tolerant and that is a huge asset for a young person.” Archaeologist and museologist Naya Dalakoura who was born in the city and is of Sarakatsani origin “I came back because I wanted my daughter to acquire this sense of tolerance and coexistence that exists in Komotini Things that are considered a priority in education today in this city we learned them through lived experience From kindergarten to high school we had classmates from different religious groups and backgrounds we lived intercultural education in practice without realizing that it is something special but I will not blame it on my neighbor simply because his name is Mehmet’ we are far from everything and so we have each other When they leave us alone there are no problems Problems appear when third parties try to influence in one direction or another.” a mandatory stop for connoisseurs of the traditional dessert kunefe: “My uncle played the bouzouki and sang Then I fell in love with it and I learned to play the toubeleki by myself I started a family and that’s how it became a profession In the morning I work as a driver and collect cow’s milk,” he tells Kathimerini “My daughter just got married and my son goes to the vocational high school and works in a paint shop The problem in the village is that everyone is going abroad I have played in Greek bouzoukia for 10 years now I only play Turkish songs mainly at weddings People on joyous occasions are all the same Just outside of Komotini is the village of Stylari Metin learned Greek because he did various jobs in the city who works in the fields and doesn’t use Greek much This upsets her because she would like to stop being a farmer and change jobs “She learned Greek in the minority’s elementary school but forgot it She wants to go to the public second-chance school in Komotini just like I go to a second-chance vocational training school,” says Metin “Our son is in the second year of high school he speaks Greek perfectly and also speaks English Christians and Muslims we all live together just fine you will face the consequences in the future The Pomak couple got into their truck and agreed to take us to the premises of the Vergina brewery “Frank Zappa used to say that you can’t be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline We had an airline but no beer in 1994 when I left the US where I was born to Greek parents to come to Greece and build the unit with my brother the Macedonia-Thrace Brewery was founded in Komotini We were walking with our father on the street and he said to us take out your Vergina beer.’ That’s it!” Politopoulos remembers He even went to court against big players in the global beer market for instances of unfair anticompetitive practices “In addition to the jobs we give to our 150 employees the company grows barley on over 121,000 square meters from Thrace to Larissa which covers our needs but is also exported where crops were grown on thousands of square meters of land near the Pomak villages and beyond This helped the region a lot because from 2013 onward we gave farmers an opportunity to produce something other than tobacco more than 800 growers felt that someone other than the tobacco producers cared about them,” he tells us who has been working at the local Municipal and Regional Theater for 29 years and the librarian of the Municipal Library of Komotini in the beautiful building of the Tsanakleios School The library has 33,000 books and 2,600 active members – an impressive number “It is due to the extended hours and good staffing We also have excellent collaborations with many organizations and together we hold book presentations a total of over 100 events per year,” Tsakos explains With a mother from Asia Minor whose specialties were tzigerosarmas (lamb liver with rice in caul) and minced meat and leek pie they created the food guide “Komotini on a Plate,” with all the culinary tradition of the city from Armenian and Pomak delicacies to Arvanite “We started by looking for old local women with the intention of going to their homes and photographing them making a dish But then came the confinement of the coronavirus and everything changed we could not easily run from local association to local association and from house to house by typing Code 6 [a reference to the SMS system used during the lockdowns to leave the house] Zafeiris and I exchanged cabbage dumplings with kavurma bligouri ‘meatballs,’ whatever they brought us or we tried to make,” Paschali explains in the city there are only tavernas and grills We had lunch there and then went on another tour with the architect engineer and history buff Kostas Katsimigas “Komotini is a city that was built on roads – specifically the ancient Egnatia – and grew through disasters In one hour you can be in Turkey,” he tells Kathimerini and insists on taking us to the Muslim neighborhood to show us the low-ceiling buildings telling us the history of the city from the 4th century until today At one point he left us in the car for a few minutes and returned with a delicious sujuk lokum a sweet treat for us to take with us to Athens assistant professor of civil procedural law at the Democritus University of Thrace is celebrating 30 years in Komotini this year from his undergraduate studies at the Democritus Since 2004 he has been teaching at his alma mater: “The city I saw with my student eyes in 1994 was as if it had been stuck in the 1960s-70s old-school cafes and Greek music clubs,” he tells Kathimerini “The hospitality and generosity of the locals helped us love it Social life was very intense and the sense that everyone was a friend was pervasive we also discovered the presence of the Muslim community I will never forget the night of the Imia crisis [when Greece and Turkey came to the brink of war in 1996 over the ownership of uninhabited islets known as Imia in Greek and Kardak in Turkish] when the members of the minority locked themselves in their homes fearing that they might pay the price for the tensions between Greece and Turkey as in 1974 [the Turkish invasion of Cyprus] Komotini becomes like an oscilloscope that records the political vibrations extremely sensitively,” Hadjioannou says “I also experienced the first batches of Muslim students who entered our faculty under the quota [introduced in 1996 to allow Muslim students access to Greek universities] There was a huge difference between those who were graduates of minority schools and the others who had finished the Greek public school The latter were excellent students and many of them did very well when they graduated,” he continues “The quota was important because until then children from the minority all went to minority schools and then some continued as boarders in Istanbul and other Turkish cities Now a lot of them go to our own universities and that is extremely positive The rapid rise of the Democritus and its Law School contributed decisively to the development of the region.” a political game of tension is being played in Thrace And the choices of the party candidates are opportunistic and are often entered at the last minute without having any relation to politics or a vision for the city,” says Xanthi journalist Sami Karabougioukoglou who has worked for many years at state-run broadcaster ERT as a local correspondent “People here know that they are in danger of falling prey to the relations between the two countries and this does not necessarily mean that we are talking about actions or policies of the Greek government exercise whatever limited power he has over you not necessarily with a plan or the knowledge of his superiors,” he explains Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox visited the Metropolitan of Maroneia and Komotini at the Offices of the Holy Metropolis The Metropolitan warmly welcomed the Consul and presented him with books from the publications of the Metropolis as a gesture of goodwill The visit also included a constructive and cordial discussion further strengthening the relationship between the Metropolis and the Ukrainian Consulate Replacing the scattered health infrastructure of the city a cutting-edge health center appears in the woods on the outskirts and patients will benefit from the natural surroundings as they heal Komotini will be the first of three hospitals carried out with backing from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Inspired by ancient healing temples of Asclepius, they seek to provide medical care in natural settings...[+][+] Obra WorkHospital general de Komotiní (Grecia) SNF General Hospital of Komotini (Greece) Cliente ClientThe Stavros Niarchos Foundation Arquitectos ArchitectsRenzo Piano Building Workshop+Betaplan / M Pelanda (arquitecto encargado associate in charge) there arent any match using your search terms and we received much higher bids than anticipated—up to two and a half times the expected amount—as we shared in February we initiated the necessary processes to find a way to make these vital projects feasible for the benefit of the health sector in Greece and society at large Renzo Piano and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop one of the largest construction groups in Greece and Cyprus The agreement for the start of construction for the SNF General Hospital of Komotini the SNF University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki and the SNF General Hospital of Sparta was signed today The increase in the budget for these projects brings SNF’s total commitment to the Global Health Initiative (GHI) to more than $1 billion with the three new hospitals comprising about half of the total budget ($500 million) the hospitals will be delivered to the Greek State fully equipped SNF will continue to assess applications for support but will do so in a much more selective way as we have already shared in previous announcements and on our website.We will soon announce the SNF team’s schedule of visits to Komotini and Sparta to provide the local communities with in-depth information on the new agreement for the three new public hospitals This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page the mufti of Komotini explained that “in Greece here in our area our mosques are open and we pray every day I fear that there will be hatred between Christians and Muslims from now on… There may be fanatics among us who will do harm to society He stressed that Hagia Sophia was a Christian church was founded as a Christian church as its name suggested and had served Christians for more than 1,000 years “Now what is the point of making this decision and near the Hagia Sophia there is the Blue Mosque called Sultan Ahmet Mosque “Converting churches into mosques is not in line with the principles of Islam,” he said The Mufti of Komotini underlined that the conversion of Christian temples into mosques is contrary to the principles of Islam “It is not in line with the principle of Islam of the Quran nor did the followers of the Prophet converted churches into mosques “That did not happen,” he said The Mufti considered that Hagia Sophia should remain a museum as a neutral site “Since it is also registered in UNESCO this decision brings us nothing but hatred “Everyone must respect other’s religion and there must be a harmonious coexistence and we must go on this way,” said the Mufti of Komotini With a small number of guests due to COVID-19 restrictions the city of Komotini celebrated the 101st anniversary of its liberation and unification with Greece The official events commemorating of the May 14 liberation began yesterday with an official hoisting of the Greek flag, Foni Rodopis reported a memorial service was held for the Metropolitan of Maronia and Komotini and wreaths were laid by representatives of institutions associations and students of Primary and Secondary Education Although Bulgarian forces captured the city during the First Balkan War they surrender it to the Greek army during the Second Balkan War on July 14 Bulgaria was awarded the city again in the Treaty of Bucharest the Treaty of Neuilly awarded Komotini to Greece READ MORE: May 8, 1821: 120 Greeks battle 8,000 Ottomans and achieve strategic victory Mark Carroll of Renzo Piano Building Workshop and local architects Betaplan together with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation are constructing three new hospitals in Greece to support the National Health System that aims to not leave the less central regions behind in terms of health services improvement and adequation with completion scheduled for 2025 The Foundation launched the program in 2017 to benefit three facilities on the Greek territory: the University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki and the General Hospitals of Sparta and Komotini.  The initiative also intends to be an anthology of guiding principles for an innovative and harmonious recovery process from the decade-long crisis Greece has gone through The three projects are reunited by a holistic vision of sustainability but as a program of performance and experience for all users of a treatment and research path: those who are treated The designs pay close attention to the user experience of the patients The design approach is centered on people and steady attention toward the natural environment within which they become integrated thanks to a careful utilization of renewable energy resources and of the principles of energetic and social sustainability The employment of light and of natural ventilation find their application as mainstream principles both in public spaces and in patients’ rooms relaxing environment for patients and their relatives Nature plays a critical role in such vision of architecture just as it did in ancient times in the healing temples dedicated to Asclepius the god of medicine: the dialogue connecting the structures to the landscape the continuity of interior spaces with parks and open “healing gardens,” are a fundamental element in projects that are structured principles of biophilic design by the idea of nature as an active participant of a healing experience the new University Pediatric Hospital of Thessaloniki located in the central region of Greek Macedonia is conceived as a campus to provide local secondary and tertiary pediatric services and national-scale Mental Health services for children and adolescents It will also include a Research Center with educational and training spaces for the academic medical faculty and research laboratories as well as educational spaces and academic offices The design pays close attention to a global user experience built on a deep relationship with nature—with interior spaces featuring transparent and permeable connections to an outdoor park to encourage dialogue and support—and the need for proximity and interaction between users (there is an extra bed for each clinical bed) Project: Three New Hospital Buildings in GreeceArchitects: Renzo Piano Building WorkshopDesign Lead: Mark CarrollArchitects of Record: Betaplan Architects & PlannersClient: Stavros Niarchos Foundation Input your search keywords and press Enter You can see how this popup was set up in our step-by-step guide: https://wppopupmaker.com/guides/auto-opening-announcement-popups/ Ambassador of Israel Yossi Amrani on Thursday night presented the Righteous Among the Nations medal and title of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Israel to Vasiliki and Dimitrios Kiakidis – posthumously – for rescuing Greek Jew Donna Rodrig during World War II The event was held in Komotini in northern Greece and hosted by the town’s mayor and organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Israel The award was received by the couple’s grandson Like other Righteous Among the Nations honorees Vasiliki and Dimitrios Kiakidis “shined as beacons of light in the darkest of times of the Holocaust,” said Ambassador Amrani He also pointed out lessons that can be learned from those who chose humanity over all else even risking their lives to save their Jewish compatriots  “They are a living proof that humanity should never give up to tyranny They remind us all it could have been different History rewriting and Holocaust deniers,” Amrani said Dimitrios Kiakidis was a doctor with a small private clinic which he opened in the winter of 1941-1942 offering her a job and allowing her to live with his family With the beginning of the persecution against the Jews in 1943 Kiakidis obtained a fake Christian identity card for Donna and then thanks to his cooperation with the resistance organizations sent her to the safety of a mountain village where she continued to work as a nurse until the end of the occupation 864 Greek Jews from Komotini were arrested by Bulgarian authorities deported and exterminated by the Nazis in the Treblinka concentration camp in Poland Thanks to the humanity and bravery of the Kiakidis family Donna married an Auschwitz survivor in Thessaloniki where she continued to live until her death in 1996 maintaining friendly relations with the family of her savior Dimitrios Kiakidis It is worth noting that 362 Greeks have been honored with the Righteous Among the Nations” title to date  They include the late archbishop of Athens and all Greece the chief of the Greek Police in German occupied Greece the late metropolitan bishops of Zakynthos and Dimitriada and many other unsung heroes of World War II The title is bestowed on individuals who risked their lives to save Jews during World War II  Presenting the award requires an extensive investigation by Yad Vashem and approval by the Israeli High Court “It would be strange if Hagia Sophia became a mosque This situation should not cause difficulties between Christians and Muslims.” “If this happens it will be a provocative decision,” he added © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The Hellenic Police (ELAS) has revealed that weapons made in Turkey have been confiscated in the Evros region in recent weeks. The most recent incident took place on December 15, with Komotini police arresting a 22-year-old Syrian in the village of Gemisti, carrying 10 Turkish-made Zoraki pistols and 8,000 ecstasy pills. It was preceded, on November 25, by the seizure in the adjacent area of ​​Fylakto of eight weapons in the possession of a 35-year-old Israeli citizen. The seizure on December 15 occurred after a Komotini security officer posed as an interest buyer and negotiated the purchase of the pistols and drugs with a Turkish national for 14,000 euros. An appointment was set at the Evros River near Gemisti. The Syrian man, who was the courier, was arrested immediately after the delivery. The same type of pistols, which had entered Europe from Turkey via Bulgaria, were seized in a Europol operation in November. Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox. After “Maestro”, two more Greek television series will feature on Netflix from January 15. These are “Serres” (directed by Stamatis Patronis) and “Save Me” (directed by Pierros Andrakakos), as confirmed by their actors on Instagram. For “Save Me”, in particular, the protagonist Elena Mavridou wrote in her post: “‘Save me’ from 15/01 is on the Netflix platform! “A series we worked on with passion! Love to all colleagues, contributors, friends, and to those of the viewers who loved our series. “After ‘Maestro’, two more Greek series are coming to the platform. “Available on Netflix from January 15.” Screenwriter and actor Giorgos Kapoutzidis honoured his creation, “Serres”, and this international recognition with an Insta story, where he commented: “Serres continues its journey on Netflix! From January 15.” A lonely woodcarving artist, Nicole Pomanou (Danae Skiadi), returns to her village in Komotini to meet her family at her father’s memorial service. The day after her arrival, her younger sister, Alcesti, disappears. A few kilometres away, the police officer Despina Loukidis (Elena Mavridou) arrives in Komotini to take over the investigation of the murder of a young woman. Her body is discovered in the National Park of Thrace. The victim’s eyes have been removed. And this is only the beginning… The hero of the series, Odysseus, lives in Athens away from his family. The complicated relationship with his father, Lefteris, has led to their estrangement. However, when an unpleasant event forces Odysseus to return to Serres, everything begins to change. Thus, two strangers in the same house, in the same city, father and son, start from scratch to get to know each other. With Chrysa at his side and Stamatina, Nancy and Thomas opposite him, Odysseus will help his father get back on his feet. A post shared by Elena Mavridou (@elenamavridou) READ MORE: Netflix Conquers the World With ‘Alexander: The Making of a God’ Trailer [Exclusive] Looking to access paid articles across multiple policy topics Interested in policy insights for EU professional organisations Bulgaria’s outgoing Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said on 8 July that his party “We continue the change” (PP) was likely to be forced to drop plans to propose a new government because it had failed to secure a parliamentary majority Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov speaks during the inauguration of the new natural gas pipeline connecting Komotini in northern Greece with Stara Zagora in southern Bulgaria The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) is a crucial energy bridge that is important for Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed on 8 July at the inauguration of the new natural gas pipeline connecting Komotini in northern Greece with Stara Zagora in southern Bulgaria A no-confidence vote led to the Bulgarian parliament overthrowing the government of Kiril Petkov and Bulgarians will likely vote again in general elections in the autumn is building the entire plant for the project company Thermoilektriki Komotinis M.A.E The company is owned in equal parts by Motor Oil Renewable Energy (MORE) and GEK Terna Commissioning of the plant is scheduled for mid-2024 “We trusted Siemens Energy because it’s a leading manufacturer of units with natural gas fuel and it convinced us that it will be by our side with its experience until the completion of the project The cooperation of the two companies to interconnect Crete with the mainland is continuing in the area of electricity production,” said Ioannis Stefanatos “We thank Terna for trusting Siemens Energy as its partner of choice for the prestigious combined cycle power plant in Komotini We’re excited that our technology and expertise will play a critical role in Greece’s strategic journey of shifting from coal/lignite power plants to gas-fired power generation Our proven HL gas turbines will provide a reliable supply of electricity at efficiency levels above 64 percent resulting in a significant reduction of CO2 emissions – a target Greece is determined to achieve We’re very much looking forward to further expanding our collaboration with Terna in Greece and other countries,” Karim Amin Executive Vice President Generation at Siemens Energy The new power plant will be fired with natural gas and is designed as a multi-shaft plant with one gas turbine and one steam turbine each driving their own generator The Siemens Energy scope of supply includes a power island consisting of an SGT5-9000HL gas turbine an SGen5-3000W generator for the gas turbine an SGen5-1200A generator for the steam turbine Life is the first female bus driver of Komotini’s KTEL Her route in particular serves the capital city of Rhodope Every morning she drives 17 kilometres from Neo Kallintirio her village in the municipality of Arriana in Rhodope She told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that even the most “distrustful” passengers “trust her driving skills completely” and have also embraced her as one of their own but now they greet me cheerfully and call me Νelly,” she said planning her future career while playing with toy cars she studied to become a driving instructor in a private school he was able to understand and endorse his daughters’ passion for driving “Daddy was glad and told me to go for it READ MORE: Your survival guide to driving in Greece Her fellow villagers were doubtful of her decision at first but now they are convinced that the professional path she’s chosen is the one that makes her happy “They didn’t believe I could do it Now they’re used to it.” When asked if any other girls in her village share her passion she said that they want to learn how to drive but nothing more She dreams of opening her own driving school at Komotini but she has to wait until she turns 24 years old in order to get the necessary license for her next step I love Komotini and my village,” she said “I turn on the radio to a music station and all the stress I have vanishes,” she said She recently had the chance to share her passion for driving with Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou who visited the region and met with local women “The President asked me how old I was what I studied and how I decided to become a driver and I told her my story She showed great interest and listened to me carefully,” Ms Kose said READ MORE: International driving permit required for vehicle rental in Greece The young driver from Neo Kallintirio has earned the love and respect of her male colleagues as well as that of KTEL director Nikos Likoudis who saw the talent and decided on her hiring She first drove mini buses across urban lines however has been driving bigger buses following the coronavirus lockdown A small village community in northern Greece has been left shocked after finding seven puppies dumped on the side of a road with their heads cut off Greek police in Komotini a northeast city of Greece said they are currently investigating the killing of the puppies reported the disturbing incident late last week and a formal investigation is now taking place by Greek police “The whole village is upset about what happened I hope they catch who did this,” a local told The Associated Press Greek animal protection groups say attacks on stray dogs Cruelty towards animals has been a huge issue with Greek lawmakers toughening penalties for those found guilty of attacking animals Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan is welcomed by imams upon his arrival in Komotini Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan poses with students and teachers as he meets with members of the Muslim community at Celal Bayar high school in Komotini Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan attend a state dinner at the Presidential Palace in Athens counterfeit alcohol and ten mobile phones during a raid in a prison in the northern town of Komotini on Monday as part of an ongoing crackdown on crime in jails According to state-run news agency ANA-MPA the cannabis was packed in 33 nylon packages and the alcohol was kept in two buckets The raid was a coordinated action between prison employees outside guards and officers of the special crime prevention and repression team Komotini police's security division is conducting the investigation into the raid findings An elected Muslim religious leader in Greece's Western Thrace region was given 80 days of prison sentence for usurping authority Ibrahim Serif is the elected mufti of Komotini (Gumulcine) which is one of the three major cities of the Western Thrace region in Greece home to a Muslim-Turkish minority of around 150,000 people Serif tweeted on Wednesday that he was convicted by a court in Alexandroupoli (Dedeagac) on Tuesday on the basis of his participation in a Friday prayer in one of the villages of Evros province in March 2016 Serif also shared a copy of the court summons His lawyer has appealed the decision in a higher court Serif previously won a case in 1999 over the same charge after appealing to the European Court of Human Rights He was elected mufti of Komotini in 1990 by the local Muslim Turkish community the election of muftis has been a bone of contention for the Muslim Turkish community since 1991 Muftis have the jurisdiction to decide on family and inheritance matters of local Muslims The election of muftis by Muslims in Greece was regulated in the 1913 Treaty of Athens between Greece and the Ottoman Empire and was later included in the Greek Act 2345/1920 Greece annulled this law in 1991 and started appointing the muftis itself The majority of Muslim Turks in the cities of Komotini (Gumulcine) and Xanthi (Iskece) do not recognize the appointed muftis and elect their own instead The Democritus University of Thrace in northeastern Greece is seeking to build new ecologically friendly student dorms and research facilities that will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of its campuses in the towns of Alexandroupoli The project is expected to cost just over 105 million euros which the university’s senate hopes to secure via a public-private partnership The senate has applied for funding from the Development Ministry 92% of the construction of the Bulgarian-Greek connection from Komotini to Stara Zagora is ready of which 31 km on Greek territory and 151 km on Bulgarian territory The contractor has committed to physically ready the interconnector by the end of June The company is doing everything possible to be ready for the heating season This was said in the studio of "The day begins" on BNT by Teodora Georgieva executive director of the ICGB project company from Bulgaria The project is jointly developed by the company in the two countries represented by two executive directors and two shareholders - 50% of BEH with the principal is the Ministry of Energy and 50% of Poseidon behind which are the Greek alternative to Bulgargaz." and the Italian in addition to the coronavirus and the delay in the supply chain of ground equipment The hydro-testing of the gas measuring station in Stara Zagora and the one in Komotini remains There is residual work in both territories The linear part of the gas pipeline is ready in both territories She said they had budget constraints and the Greek construction company Avex gave an appropriate budget It costs us a lot of effort and energy to make them work faster there is serious support and pressure," Georgieva said She clarified that the builder owes penalties for this delay Penalties of around € 90,000 a day have been charged since 1 January but no more than 10% of the value of the 145m-contract contract Georgieva also said that 50% of the project's capacity has been reserved Apart from 1 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan there are also reservations of other traders who are entering the Bulgarian market for the first time There is a good chance that this terminal will not only fill the capacity of 3 billion but will be upgraded to 5 billion with the help of a compressor station This gas pipeline has potential not only for Bulgaria added the executive director of ICGB on the Bulgarian side The project was implemented with the financial support of the Agency for People with Disabilities Contract 6 - StN / 10/06/21 анд Contract № 2 - StN / 23.05.2023 г 3E-news.net by Dir.bg © 2025 All rights reserved The parliament on Thursday approved a legislation on the compulsory retirement of muftis appointed in the country’s Western Thrace cities of Komotini (Gumulcine) and Xanthi (Iskece) The bill proposed the compulsory retirement of 81-year-old Mufti of Xanthi Mehmet Emin Sinikoglu and 78-year-old Cemali Meco which was prepared by the Ministry of Education under the order of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was introduced in the parliament on Wednesday and was accepted by majority of the general assembly While the ruling Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) Independent Greeks (ANEL) and Democratic Alignment (DHSI) voted in favor of the bill the main opposition New Democracy (ND) used its abstaining vote while the Golden Dawn (Hrisi Avgi) and Union of Centrists remained opposed the government will temporarily appoint two "mufti regents" to Komotini and Xanthi The Western Thrace region of Greece is home to a Muslim Turkish minority of around 150,000 people where muftis have the jurisdiction to decide on family and inheritance matters of local Muslims The mufti election issue has been a chronic problem of the Muslim Turkish minority since 1991 The election of muftis by Muslims in Greece was regulated in the 1913 Treaty of Athens between Greece and the Ottoman Empire and was later included in the Greek Act 2345/1920 The majority of Muslim Turks in the cities of Komotini (Gumulcine) and Xanthi (Iskece) do not recognize the muftis appointed by the state and elect their own instead On the second day of a visit to Greece that started with tensions Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday assumed a softer approach during a visit to Komotini where he met with members of the local Muslim minority After visiting a local mosque amid tight security Erdogan delivered an impromptu speech at a school for the local Muslim community “You are citizens of Greece and you must strive for its good,” he told the hundreds of Muslim supporters who had gathered at the school to welcome him “We will try to bolster our cooperation with Greece and you will be the bridge,” the Turkish leader told his listeners referring to them as “fellow citizens” and “people of the same nation” who “have fought to survive.” prompting the surprise of Deputy Foreign Minister Yiannis Amanatidis Eventually a microphone was found and Erdogan addressed the crowd Referring to tense talks with Greek government officials on Thursday when he called for a review of the Treaty of Lausanne which defined the borders between Greece and Turkey Erdogan said they were “interesting” and that he hoped they would bear fruit In a speech to Muslim community leaders shortly before leaving Greece But instead of repeating calls for it to be revised or updated he indicated that the pact should be enforced to the letter telling members of the Muslim community that it “secures your rights.” The political opposition on Friday accused the government of failing to adequately prepare for Erdogan’s visit Conservative New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis spoke of “unforgivable sloppiness” that led to a “lost opportunity” and questions about the public stage given to Erdogan to make his claims Komotini has a high level of seismic activity Based on data from the past 55 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900 there are about 104 quakes on average per year in or near Komotini Komotini has had at least 2 quakes above magnitude 6 since 1900 which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently probably on average approximately every 60 to 65 years The quake had a very shallow depth of 5 km (3.1 mi) and was too small to be felt by people Komotini has had 10 quakes of magnitude 2.0 or above There were also 6 quakes below magnitude 2.0 which people don't normally feel The quake had a very shallow depth of 13.2 km (8 mi) and was not felt (or at least not reported so) An A-7 Corsair of the Hellenic Airforce crashed at 9.45 a.m on Tuesday morning at the Northern Greek mountains of Komotini The jet had lifted off from the Hellenic Airforce Unit at Araxos in the Peloponnese as part of a joint exercise with the army It is believed that technical problems caused the aircraft to have engine failure but a team of experts are investigating the accident in order to have a clearer perspective The pilot of the A-7 Corsair managed to escape at 9.45 a.m using the ejector seat and his parachute prior to the crash He is at the hospital of Komotini according to Hellenic Airforce officials who assure that he is not in danger with just a few minor injuries Defence Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos contacted with the pilot and congratulated him for his reflexes and right reaction Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr Access4kom is a bright idea in Komotini for people with disabilities Users can go to the site www.Access4kom and follow the most accessible route with ramps and bicycle routes This new application further strengthens Komotini’s position as one of the most disabled-friendly regions in Greece Plans are underway to video routes for even easier access and is home to a sizeable Turkish-speaking Muslim minority that makes up 40% of the city’s population The “Perpato” (Walk) association is particularly active in terms of raising awareness concerning problems faced by people with physical handicaps For the application CLICK HERE