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Champion of Macedonian Hellenism Dies Aged 98

Nikolaos Martis, 98, a former minister and close aide to Greek statesman Constantine Karamanlis, died in Athens on Tuesday.

Born in 1915 in Moustheni, Kavala, northern Greece, Martis studied law at the University of Thessaloniki and worked as a lawyer before turning to politics.

He served as commerce minister, industry minister and minister of Northern Greece, among other appointments.

Throughout his life he championed the cause of Macedonian Hellenism, through books, articles, and exhaustive research. His magnus opus was "The Forgery of the History of Macedonia," which was honored by the Athens Academy in 1985.

In WWII and the subsequent Civil War, he served as a reservist officer seeing action for 83 months (7 years). He took part in the Battle of El Alamein.