{"id":1070,"date":"2026-04-24T23:05:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T20:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/?p=1070"},"modified":"2026-05-19T03:54:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T00:54:30","slug":"when-de-gaulle-toured-mesogeia-in-may-1963-memories-revive-with-macrons-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/when-de-gaulle-toured-mesogeia-in-may-1963-memories-revive-with-macrons-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"When De Gaulle toured Mesogeia in May 1963 memories revive with Macron’s visit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

When De Gaulle toured Mesogeia in May 1963: Memories revived by Macron\u2019s visit.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Emmanuel Macron\u2019s visit to Greece, which began on Friday afternoon, brings to mind another almost emblematic moment in Greek-French relations: Charles De Gaulle\u2019s trip to our country in May 1963 \u2014 almost exactly 63 years ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On this occasion, distinguished historian and author Dr. Konstantinos Tsopanis recalls testimonies from the period and reconstructs, with journalistic accuracy and narrative intensity, the then French president\u2019s tour of the Mesogeia region, immediately after his visit to the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a journey with intense symbolism, but also carefully staged,\u201d notes Dr. Tsopanis.<\/p>\n

De Gaulle, accompanied by then Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis and his wife Amalia Megapanou, descended from Sounion towards the inland areas of Mesogeia, on a route intended to highlight both the country\u2019s development progress and its living historical memory.<\/p>\n

The first stop was Lavrio. There, according to the testimonies cited by the historian, the French president was welcomed by representatives of French companies active in the area, led by the president of the French Company, Mr. Coeroli (whom locals called Monsieur Kourelis, as they were unable to pronounce his name correctly)\u2014a detail which, as Dr. Tsopanis points out, \u201cwas no coincidence, but part of a strategy to highlight the economic ties between Greece and France.\u201d<\/p>\n

The procession continued towards Keratea, where the reception was almost festive in character. \u201cStudents with flags, organized crowds, slogans that De Gaulle himself often did not understand (including the unforgettable \u2018Long live, long live De Gaulle, who scored 300 goals\u2019), but he reciprocated with that characteristic restrained smile of his,\u201d Dr. Tsopanis describes.<\/p>\n

In Markopoulo, the atmosphere shifted. The mayor at the time, Spyrakis, who spoke French, directly addressed De Gaulle, impressing and delighting him enough for the French president to exclaim, \u201cJ\u2019aime beaucoup Markopoulo\u201d (I really love Markopoulo).<\/p>\n

\u201cHere the cultural dimension of the visit is clearly evident,\u201d the historian comments. \u201cIt was not only a display of power or diplomacy, but also an exchange of symbols and cultural capital.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"When<\/p>\n

However, the most charged moment took place in Koropi. There, the French president was informed about the suffering under Nazi occupation and the so-called \u201cHolocaust of Koropi.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTestimonies agree that De Gaulle was deeply moved,\u201d remarks Dr. Tsopanis. \u201cIt was not a routine gesture. It was a moment when historical memory forcefully entered diplomacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the emotion and expressions of sympathy, the issue of official recognition of these crimes remained\u2014and remains\u2014open. \u201cIt is one of those cases where symbolism preceded justice, without securing it,\u201d the historian emphasizes.<\/p>\n

Today, six decades later, Macron\u2019s presence in Greece highlights an impressive continuity.<\/p>\n

From De Gaulle to Macron, Greek-French relations maintain a distinct historical and political core, where memory, diplomacy, and geopolitical balances intertwine.<\/p>\n

And as Dr. Konstantinos Tsopanis concludes, \u201cThese visits are never simply ceremonial. They are narratives of power, history, and\u2014above all\u2014memory, written again and again, each time with different protagonists.\u201d<\/p>\n

first published by \u201cNotioanatolika\u201d<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Macron\u2019s visit to Greece revives memories of De Gaulle\u2019s 1963 Mediterranean tour, highlighting enduring Franco-Greek ties steeped in historical symbolism, cultural exchange, and diplomatic resonance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":1071,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[957,100,4024,958,959],"nfg_topic":[134],"class_list":["post-1070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-charles-de-gaulle","tag-greece","tag-greece-conservative-parties","tag-konstantinos-tsopanis","tag-mesogeia","nfg_topic-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1070"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1072,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1070\/revisions\/1072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1070"},{"taxonomy":"nfg_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsfire.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nfg_topic?post=1070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}