Original route for the Ring Road
Former Kalymnos mayor Dimitris Diakomichalis held a press conference on Saturday, 26 September 2026, at the Kalymnos Chamber of Commerce to address two contentious local issues: the route of the planned road from Sfageia to Agioi Pantes and developments at ANEK Kalymnou, the island’s ferry company. At the beginning of the press conference, Diakomichalis thanked all local media outlets — those that attended and those that did not. Make of that what you will…
Following a recent visit by Major General Nikolaos Gretsas, representing MOMKA, the Greek military unit involved in public works, discussion has focused on a revised route for the road. Diakomichalis said he owns no plots in the area where it is to be built and rejected the accusation that the original route had been changed for his benefit.
Kalymnos Times journalist Eleftheria Tiliakou asked him to identify the owners of the plots crossed by the earlier route. He did not name them. That leaves unanswered which properties the original plan affected and whether their owners have links to his municipal group. According to the information presented about the revised route, it does not cross privately owned land; a comparison of the relevant survey plans could provide specific answers.
Turning to ANEK, Diakomichalis accused its current board of mismanagement. He also blamed the present municipal administration for the presence of SAOS Ferries on routes that compete with the Kalymnos company.
Asked whether he had sought another operator’s involvement after the accident involving Nisos Kalymnos, Diakomichalis replied that Panagia Skiadeni, a vessel operated by another company, had covered the emergency services. However, correspondence with the Ministry of Shipping from 2020 indicates that he had requested new services for the ferry Stavros, based in Kalymnos, two years before the accident.
That correspondence and the decisions that followed matter in establishing who proposed changes to the island’s ferry links. For the road, a comparison of the old and revised routes against the survey plans would likewise show exactly which properties each proposal affected.
View the entire press conference below:
