In implementation of the agreement concluded between the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias and the Albanian side, in the context of resolving long-standing differences between Greece and Albania, the work, which began in January in the Dragot region of Albania, pertaining to the search and exhumation of the remains of the Greek soldiers who fell during the Greco-Italian war (1940-1941) was concluded. This is an issue that has plagued Greco-Albanian relations for over 70 years.As a result, tomorrow, Friday, 12 October 2018 at 12:00, at the Military Cemetery of Këlcyrë, in Albania, a religious ceremony will be conducted to bury the remains of five hundred and seventy-three (573) soldiers who fell during the Greco-Italian war, in addition to the one hundred (100) Greek heroes who have already been buried at the military cemetery of Vouliarates, Albania on 13 July 2018.The work of searching and exhuming remains will continue in the regions of Kosinë, Këlcyrë, and Përmet, according to the relevant decisions of the Joint Committee of Experts (JCE). The said Committee is responsible for the implementation of the relevant Inter-state Agreement between Greece and Albania, which provides for the search, exhumation, identification, and burial of the Greek soldiers who fell during combat operations in Albania over the course of the Greco-Italian War of 1940-1941, as well as for the creation of cemeteries on Albanian soil for their burial.It is noted, especially as regards the families associations of the deceased that, on 28 October, a formal ceremony in remembrance of the fallen will be organised by representatives of the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of Albania. Similar ceremonies will be organised annually every 28 October, in accordance with Article 1 par. 8 of the Inter-state Agreement.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs again welcomes the meaningful cooperation with the Albanian side in the context of this Agreement and expresses its satisfaction that, almost 70 years after their sacrifice, the souls of the Greek fallen soldiers will at last rest in peace.
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