Kalamata re-enacts its liberation as president watches

Men from Kalamata re-enact the city’s liberation from Ottoman occupiers Thursday, ahead of Friday’s celebrations to mark Independence Day across the country. The display was watched by President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, who spoke about the refugee crisis and Greece’s diplomatic challenges in his annual statement. He called on the European Union to "isolate extreme voices" and warned the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) that its efforts to join the EU are being undermined by its treatment of refugees and its hardline approach to the name dispute with Greece.