(ANSA) - Ancona, Feb. 24 - Responding to an urgent request from the Regional Association of Municipalities of Attica, calling on the mayors of major European cities to show their support for Greek people suffering from economic recession, the Mayor of Ancona Valeria Mancinelli signed today a message of solidarity and forwarded it to the Association of Municipalities of Athens Metropolitan area.

''As mayors of large cities of the European Union - the message says - we support the efforts which will be made in order to reach an agreement, within the institutions of the European Union, gradually reducing the strict austerity measures in Greece, and enhancing the country's economic growth and reversing the trend of the serious humanitarian crisis which is affecting the Greek people. As members of European civil society, we express our belief that it is in the interest of all Europeans peoples to allow the Greek economy to recover and to express European solidarity to Greek citizens. Stability and prosperity in the EU are based on economic growth, social care and respect for the democratically expressed will of the Greek people. These principles are, after all, our common European heritage''. (ANSA).