KKE Secretary General Dimitris Koutsoumbas meets Maroneia-Şapçı Municipal Leadership

The delegation was welcomed by Mayor Apostolos Ioannou, and discussions focused on key issues affecting daily life in the region.

Among the main topics addressed were transportation and road connections between settlements in the municipality, challenges facing the agricultural sector, and the impact of foot-and-mouth disease affecting small livestock in the area.

Participants also discussed broader structural concerns, including demographic decline, increasing responsibilities placed on local governments, staff shortages within municipal services, and decreasing levels of public funding.

Koutsoumbas additionally highlighted ongoing water supply issues in the region. Mayor Ioannou stated that several water infrastructure problems had been resolved over the past two years and expressed hope that the planned water supply from the Yassıhöyük Dam project would provide more sustainable long-term solutions.

Efforts to combat unemployment and strengthen the local economy were also on the agenda. Both sides reportedly agreed that the establishment of a new large-scale business investment in the region — under environmentally sustainable conditions — could contribute positively to economic development and job creation.

The meeting formed part of Koutsoumbas’ regional contacts aimed at addressing local governance, rural development, and economic challenges in northern Greece.

KKE Secretary General Dimitris Koutsoumbas met with the Maroneia-Sapes municipal leadership to discuss infrastructure, agriculture, water supply, unemployment, and regional economic development in Rhodope.