A former general in the armor of Thessaly

Interview: Christos Mazanis

“General, what did you ask Larissa, you’re a Hydrian?” asks the poet Nikos Nkonopoulos at the end of the poem “Bolivar.”

Finally, a perfect question for a modern general, former army chief and head of the national guard in Cyprus. “General, what are you doing in Larissa?”, we asked Ilias Leontaris, who will be the new head of the region’s civil defense from the beginning of 2024, and who will be called upon to save the disaster-stricken Thessaly.

“I am not afraid of anything, I have the challenge of defending Thessaly” Among other things, he says in an interview with “Jungle” TV. “There is a plan with the new regional governor, Dimitris Gouretas, which we will try to implement, but it will take time. Everything cannot be done from one moment to the next, as there have been unfortunate mistakes in the plains in previous years.He adds.

Ilias Leontaris mentions, among other things, a “network of actions” which, as he says, also have a preventive purpose. “Technology will be used everywhere. We can be informed when a river is dangerously high to take appropriate measures to protect people. Even if there is a fire. We will set up a new headquarters where new people will work to contribute to civil protection.He insists.

When also asked about the conclusion of the Dutch experts on the flood in Thessaly, the general made it clear: “We’ve looked at it, we’ve read it. It’s clear that interventions need to be made on dams and rivers, but there’s also personal responsibility. Anyway, I’m disturbed by the attitude so far.”

Check out all Elias Leontaris had to say about Thessaly’s armor project: