By Greece on Wednesday kicked off two days of celebrations to mark the bicentenary of the start of the country’s war of independence, although events are far more muted than originally planned due to the pandemic.
Dignitaries from Britain, Russia and France — the great powers that provided vital assistance to the nation’s bid for independence from the Ottoman Empire — as well as from Cyprus began arriving in Athens on Wednesday. Celebrations are to culminate in a military parade, accompanied by air force overflights, in central Athens on Thursday, Greece’s Independence Day.
But with Greece struggling with a renewed surge in coronavirus cases and deaths, the public will not be allowed to attend the parade, which will be broadcast live by state television.
