Former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited the 90th Thessaloniki International Fair on Thursday, touring exhibition booths and receiving a football jersey and a red Pontian tie.
Tsipras, who is the president of the ELAS party, attended the annual trade exhibition accompanied by party officials. The Thessaloniki International Fair is a major September event where Greek political leaders traditionally present their economic platforms for the year ahead. Held in Greece's second largest city, it serves as a key moment in the country's political calendar and a showcase for domestic businesses and institutions.
His visit began with a meeting with the management of TIF Helexpo, the state owned company that organizes the event. He was briefed by the organization's president, Christos Tsentemeidis, and chief executive Andreas Mavrommatis on the data and attendance figures for this year's exhibition.
Metropolitan park plans
The TIF Helexpo executives also outlined their redevelopment plan for the extensive exhibition site in the center of the city. They said the project involves the creation of a metropolitan park that will change the fair's relationship with Thessaloniki and its residents, offering new green spaces.
Tsipras then visited the booths of two historic Thessaloniki football clubs, Iraklis and Apollon Kalamarias. Iraklis is one of the oldest sports clubs in Greece and a fixture in the city's sporting landscape.
Apollon Kalamarias is based in the Kalamaria district, a coastal suburb settled by Greek refugees from the Black Sea region following the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The club's identity remains deeply tied to this Pontian Greek heritage.
The president of Apollon Kalamarias, Fotis Baltidis, and the club's marketing manager, Giorgos Dimitriadis, presented Tsipras with a team jersey bearing the number 26. They said the number was chosen symbolically because the ELAS party was founded in 2026, and the football club is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
The club representatives also gave him a red Pontian tie, reflecting the area's distinct cultural background, and a football, along with the wish that he scores goals. Tsipras spoke with the club officials and the players, and posed for photographs with them.
Digital broadcasting
Following the sports booths, Tsipras moved to the pavilion of the Hellenic Fire Corps, Greece's national fire service. He then visited the stand of ERT, Greece's state owned public radio and television broadcaster.
At the ERT booth, he was welcomed by Aris Panagiotidis, the general manager of ERT 3. The ERT 3 channel is based in Thessaloniki and focuses specifically on news and cultural programming relevant to northern Greece and the country's regions.
Panagiotidis briefed the former prime minister on the broadcaster's capabilities in the digital age. He said the digital bouquet of ERT radio stations now includes 9.58 FM, the dedicated cultural station of Thessaloniki. The general manager also gave Tsipras a backpack as a gift.
The tour continued at the Chambers pavilion, where Tsipras visited the stands of professional chambers from across the country. These organizations represent the interests of businesses and professionals, playing a significant role in local economies. At the stand of the Central Union of Chambers, he was greeted by Kyriakos Merelis, the president of the Thessaloniki Professional Chamber.
University research
Tsipras later visited the Academia pavilion, which hosted stands for several Greek higher education institutions. Among them were the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, which is the largest university in Greece, and the University of Macedonia.
The pavilion also featured the International Hellenic University, the University of Western Macedonia, the Democritus University of Thrace, the University of Thessaly, the Ionian University, and the University of Piraeus.
He spent a significant amount of time speaking with groups of students at the university stands. The students were exhibiting the results of their scientific research, which included automobiles and other engineered constructions.
While Tsipras was being guided through the university pavilion, a discussion event was taking place in the same area. The panel featured Margaritis Schinas, the Minister of Rural Development and Food, as well as Manolis Christodoulakis, a member of parliament for the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, or PASOK.
The panel also included Nikos Nyfoudis, the deputy spokesperson for the ELAS party, political scientist Professor Nikos Marantzidis, and political analyst Professor Giannis Konstantinidis.
Upon seeing the speakers, Tsipras approached the panel to greet them each individually before he left the area.
