Madam Speaker,
Madam Vice President,
Honorable Members of the United States Congress,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

There is no greater honor for the elected leader of the people who created democracy than to address the elected representatives of the people who founded their country on the Greek model and have promoted and defended democratic values ever since.

I am conscious as I stand before you today of the deep ties that bind our two nations together.
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They are a reason for celebration and thanks but they are also a reminder, I believe, of our shared values and beliefs at a time when these are once again being tested. Our shared belief in freedom over tyranny, in democracy over authoritarianism, in the fundamental importance of respect for the rule of law over war and anarchy.
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It is an added honor, and a great pleasure, for me to address a joint session of the US Congress under female leadership, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and, of course, Vice President Kamala Harris.

For it was a Greek, and a Greek man at that, who first advocated equal rights for women. In “The Republic” Plato proposed that women should share all levels of power and take on all challenges, including military service.

Any state that does not employ the talents of its women, Plato made clear, is wasting half of its resources. And as the son, husband, sibling and father of strong, creative women, I couldn’t agree more.

Like all Greeks, every time I come to Washington I feel as if I’m coming home, because everything I see around me, the architecture, the art, the ideas carved into marble throughout the city, is so familiar.

Walking into the Lincoln Memorial is like walking into the Parthenon when it was still intact, before Lord Elgin’s art collecting hobby defaced it, because it was modeled on the earlier monument. Driving by the Supreme Court and seeing above the entrance its motto and mission, “Equal Justice Under Law,” we remember that it is a concept that our Greek ancestors first conceived and articulated in a single word, “Isonomia.”

Of course, it was not only Washington’s buildings and culture that were immeasurably influenced by Greece but also the city’s main business, democratic politics, were founded in Athens as well. In fact, to be brutally frank, we all owe our jobs to our noble ancestors. But I come here not to seek appreciation from you or praise for them.

I come before you to celebrate a miracle that all free peoples cherish but that binds Greeks and Americans in a unique way. That miracle, the Greek idea that would forever change the world, is that society functions best if all of its citizens are equal and have the right to share in running their state. In a word, democracy.

It is hard for us today to realize how radical the idea of individual freedom was 25 centuries ago when a small community of Greeks dared to entrust equal political and legal rights to all its citizens. Women and slaves were excluded, but it was still such an extraordinary departure from what had gone before that it remains the most profound leap of faith in human history.
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No society before the Greeks dared to believe that order and freedom were compatible. All societies before them were a succession of tyrannies that relied on a strong ruler, a king, a pharaoh, an emperor, to keep them functioning.

The lesson was not lost on the founders of the United States who shaped the American Constitution on the Athenian model but they were wise enough to insert checks and balances to avoid the excesses that eventually undermined Athenian democracy.

The birth of democracy in ancient Athens brought about an explosion of the creative spirit in Greece that produced the architecture, the art, the drama and the philosophy that have shaped western civilization ever since.

The establishment of democracy in the United States has brought about the greatest expansion of human freedom and human progress the world has ever known.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Last year Greece celebrated 200 years since the beginning of our war of independence. And in a very strange but interesting twist of historical fate, it was the Greek people who were inspired by the foundation of American democracy when they rose against their oppressor to fight for their own freedom.

What Americans had shown us by their example was that liberty can be fought for and, even when against the odds, won. We understood the founding of your republic to be a watershed in the history of the world, a model for the oppressed nations of Europe, a hope for our own future.

Right from the start, therefore, our forefathers looked across the Atlantic for support. From the distant Peloponnese, the leaders of the Greek revolution sent an appeal in the spring of 1821 to the American people, their ‘friends, fellow-citizens and brethren’.

They spoke of the ‘natural sympathy’ the Greeks felt for Americans, the thirst for freedom that they had both derived from the ancients. ‘In imitating you,’ they wrote, ‘we imitate our own ancestors. We shall show ourselves worthy of them in proportion as we resemble you.’

The founding fathers of your Republic were moved and impressed. ‘Light and liberty are in steady advance,’ wrote Thomas Jefferson on learning of the news from Greece. ‘The flames kindled on 4th July 1776 have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism.’

Exactly 200 years ago, in 1822, revolutionary Greeks assembled at Epidavros, debated and drew up our first Constitution. And with this document they introduced into the newly liberated Greek lands the new language of rights. Above all of the right of a nation to throw off the shackles of tyranny in order to live under the rule of law. In the words of our Declaration of Independence:

Have we something lesser than other nations, that we remain deprived of these rights, or are we of a nature lower or less civilized, that we should view ourselves as unworthy to enjoy them and instead be condemned to an eternal slavery, subjected, like automata or beasts of burden, to the absurd caprices of a cruel tyrant.

These are rights which within Greece we have never ceased to defend by arms when times and circumstances have permitted.”

A shocking reality: Replace the word Greece with Ukraine and the similarities to today’s turbulent world are harrowing.

Two years later, in a little town in Western Greece called Mesolonghi, these words were published alongside a translation of the American Constitution. That book, one of the first ever printed on Greek soil, stands testimony to the immense value we Greeks attached from the start to our own future as a liberal and constitutional polity.

That this little book appeared at the height of the war was remarkable. That it was printed in Mesolonghi was simply incredible. Like Mariupol today, Mesolonghi’s outnumbered and emaciated defenders would repeatedly repel wave upon wave of enemy attacks before their final desperate sortie, an act of extraordinary daring. But one that would ultimately cost hundreds of lives, many of whom were women and children.

When we see the same suffering among the outnumbered defenders of Mariupol, a city with a Greek name and deep Greek roots, we are reminded of Mesolonghi and the costs of our own struggle.

Even today we have not forgotten the American volunteers who sailed to fight alongside us. Some of them gave their lives for our freedom. Their names are honored and their graves are still cared for.

Nor have we forgotten others of your countrymen who mounted one of the first public humanitarian efforts in history by sending Greece aid and assistance. Remarkable figures like Samuel Gridley Howe cared for women and children who had been left homeless and destitute, and established hospitals, schools and orphanages that supported us in the difficult years that followed.

The first school for girls in Greece was founded in Athens in 1831, by an American pastor, John Hill. The Hill Memorial School still continues to teach Greek children today in the historic center of Athens.

This long arc of American philanthropy continued through the nineteenth century, spreading across the Near and Middle East. And in times of dire need in the following decades, most notably a century ago, when hundreds of thousands of refugees streamed into Greece from Asia Minor in the catastrophic aftermath of the First World War, American institutions were there to bring aid and relief.

And, of course it was the Marshal plan that helped my country rebuild its infrastructure after the devastating Second World War and the civil war that ensued.

And in its own way, Greece reciprocated. Among the Greek orphans who were brought across the Atlantic into the United States to escape the fighting after 1821 were a future congressman and a commander in the US navy.

Young Greeks saved from the war became American educators and writers. Many of them were dedicated abolitionists, for the eradication of slavery was a cause whose urgent necessity spoke directly to men and women who had once been enslaved themselves.

Over the past two centuries our two countries have always been on the right side of history. We fought side by side in world wars to defend freedom and democracy.

Our democracies have struggled with internal demons. We endured the horrific pains of civil wars and the desperation of economic crises. But we have emerged stronger and more committed to defend the values that our ancestors gave their lives for.

Esteemed members of Congress,

I began today by saying that this bicentennial is more than a moment of celebration. It is also a reminder of the values that bind us together and the tasks we still face.

The world has changed a good deal in the recent months. But the warning signs have been with us for decades.

Following the end of the Cold War we naively believed that Europe, which had twice driven the world into global conflict, had finally found the path to peace.

We believed that international cooperation and a shared commitment to the rule of law now prevailed over guns and armies.

We believed that the deepening of the European Union, a unique experiment designed to further link our countries together, would make war on the «Dark Continent» unthinkable.

We believed that given the tragic and harrowing experiences of the twentieth century, no one would venture to suppress another people’s right to exist or alter its borders by force.

We naively ignored the warning signs flashing red. And we even ignored Russia’s actions in Syria and its annexation of Crimea.

We know now that we were wrong.

Today, like all of you, we Greeks look at what is happening just five hundred miles to our north, and we are horrified and appalled.

We look to Kyiv and to Odessa, the city where our revolution was first conceived, and we look to the tragedy unfolding in eastern Ukraine.

We see Mariupol, a Greek city founded by Catherine the Great in 1778 to resettle Greeks from Crimea fleeing Ottoman rule. And what we see once again is a people who are faced with the necessity of fighting to defend themselves in order to secure their future.

Let me be clear: we have no animus towards the Russian people, with whom we have been bound so closely by faith and history. But we cannot be indifferent to a struggle that reminds us so much of our own.

We too know what it is to be forced to reckon with invasion, to stand up for one’s beliefs and to have to resort to arms to protect our liberty.

We too know about the heroism of the underdog, for whom the first victory comes from not capitulating in the face of overwhelming odds. From simply hanging on and praying that others will come to our aid.

And we understand too the importance of friends, and the power of allies, in the defense of the values that we share.

Without allies the Greeks would not, for all their heroism, have been able to win their independence. And that is why we recognize the importance of taking sides now.

And we took sides. Unequivocally. We stand by Ukraine against Putin’s aggression. We delivered humanitarian aid. We supported the Ukrainians with weapons to help them defend their homeland. And we have welcomed, with open arms, refugees who have fled their homeland in search of safety for themselves and their families.

Mr. Putin is striving to create a world in which power is for the strong state but not the small. A world in which territorial claims are made on the basis of historical fantasies and enforced by aggression, rather than decided by peace treaties. A world in which armies rather than diplomats settle disputes.

He will not succeed. He must not succeed. He must not succeed, not only for the sake of Ukraine but also in order to send a message to all authoritarian leaders that historical revisionism and open acts of aggression that violate international law will not be tolerated by the global community of democratic states. The language of resentment, revisionism and imperial nostalgia shall not prevail.

And speaking of open acts of aggression, I ask you, esteemed members of Congress, not to forget an open wound that has caused Hellenism unending pain over the past 48 years. I am referring to the invasion and subsequent division of Cyprus. This issue has to be resolved in accordance with international law and in line with the relevant decisions of the United Nations Security Council. As I told President Biden yesterday, nobody can and nobody will accept a two- state solution in Cyprus.

The same is true for all other regional disputes. Greece is a peace seeking democracy that always extends a hand of friendship to our neighbors. We are always open to dialogue. But there is only one framework we can use to resolve our differences: international law and the unwritten principles of good neighborly relations.

I want to be absolutely clear. We will not accept open acts of aggression that violate our sovereignty and our territorial rights. These include overflights over Greek islands, which must stop immediately.
Please also note: the last thing that NATO needs at a time when our focus is on helping Ukraine defeat Russia’s aggression is another source of instability on NATO’s Southeastern flank. And I ask you take this into account when you make defense procurement decisions concerning the Eastern Mediterranean.

The United States has, I believe, vital interests in this part of the world. It is very important that you remain engaged and work with partners with whom you share not only common strategic priorities, but also shared values and a shared history.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Last Thursday the Hellenic parliament ratified the new Mutual Defense and Cooperation Agreement between our two countries. Whereas previously it was renewed annually by an act of Parliament, it now has a five-year duration, after which it is automatically renewed, unless one of the parties chooses not to do so.

This Αgreement is a powerful testament of our enduring strategic partnership and our commitment to maintain peace and promote prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Nowhere is that more obvious than in Souda Bay, which I know many of you have visited. The largest naval base in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the only port that can accommodate aircraft carriers.

But it is also obvious in the city of Alexandroupolis, in Northeastern Greece, which is rapidly becoming an energy hub for the entire region. This is important, as we seek to rapidly diversify away from Russian gas, investing in the necessary infrastructure that will make it possible to import large quantities and liquefied natural gas, this becomes critical. Not just for Greece but also for our Balkan neighbors.

I should tell my colleagues I don’t get so much applause in the Greek Parliament.

And we will interconnect the Greek electricity grids with Cyprus, Israel and Egypt in order to import cheap renewable energy from the Middle East and Africa into the European electricity system.
But the thriving partnership of our two countries is not just limited to security and energy. Pfizer has set up a big data analytics center in Thessaloniki. Microsoft is building state of the art data centers on the outskirts of Athens. JP Morgan has invested in one of our leading Greek fintech companies.

What American companies see in Greece is not just a country endowed with an advantageous geographical position, and blessed with natural beauty that makes it a magnet for visitors from all over the world. They also see a dynamic economy that has overcome the difficulties, the pathogenies of the past and is supporting entrepreneurship and private investment.

And a workforce of young, talented, well-educated Greeks who, after a decade of crisis, choose to remain in their homeland rather than emigrating. Or for those who have actually left the country, choose to return to Greece now. And, I am convinced they will be the protagonists of Greece’s bright future.

Esteemed members of Congress,

I have spoken about the joint paths that our two great democracies have chartered over the past two centuries. We have every reason today to celebrate our achievements. But it would be foolish to remain complacent.

The United States has a crucial role to play today in our even more complicated world. From addressing climate change to standing up against authoritarian regimes, from countering fake news and disinformation to preparing for the next pandemic, the world looks to the strongest and most prosperous democracy for leadership. You simply cannot afford to sit on the sidelines.

Multilateralism, in my mind, is not an option but a necessity. Not only for a more stable world order but also for your own self-interest.

But we also need to put our own house in order. Personally, I am more worried about the internal fragmentations of our democracies than I fear the threat of arrogant despots.

We frequently remember the words of President Ronald Reagan “Freedom is never more than a generation away from extinction”.

But let us not forget that Abraham Lincoln referred to the “unfinished business of democracy”. And unfinished it is indeed.

Our democracies are threatened by the sirens of populists who offer easy solutions to complicated problems. Their voices are being heard, primarily because income inequality has increased in our societies and many, justifiably, feel that they are left behind. In Greece we speak from experience. We paid a heavy price for listening to them.

Everywhere in the world, in the United States, in Greece, in Europe, social media is polarizing public debate and transforming the public sphere into a modern-day version of the tower of Babel, where we speak different languages and we only listen to those who share the same views with us.

There are three major forces that collectively bind together successful democracies. Social capital, by that I mean extensive social networks, with high levels of trust, so admired by Alexis de Tocqueville. Strong institutions. And common stories that forge a unified national identity. All three are being eroded.

And at the same time authoritarian regimes are questioning our ability to deliver prosperity for all our citizens. They are offering their people a Faustian deal: trade political freedom and individual rights for high levels of growth and individual economic wellbeing. Many are willing to accept it.

These are some of the challenges we face today. That is why making our democracies more resilient is such an important priority for our generation.

I wish I had the answers to these complicated questions. But I know where to start. We need to strengthen our democratic institutions to address the root causes of our citizens’ anger and distrust. We need to tackle income inequalities without losing the dynamism of our open economies.

We need to reform social media so that it becomes less socially corrosive. And we need to train our young people to seize the opportunities of democratic citizenship in this new age.

And maybe a dive into our shared historical past would be of particular use. James Madison knew that democracies can be threatened by the “turbulency and weakness of unruly passions”.

That is why insulating decision making from the emotion of the moment, while still holding democratic leaders accountable on election day was one of his major preoccupations.

Madison was clearly inspired by Pericles, who knew that democracy had a dark side that, if left unrestrained, could lead to its downfall. Thucydides had Pericles say of Ancient Athens: “We are a free democracy but we obey our laws, more especially those who protect the weak, and the unwritten laws whose transgression bring shame”.

Every time we gaze in wonder at the Parthenon frieze, half of which unfortunately still sits in the British Museum rather than the Acropolis Museum where it belongs, we are reminded of the glory of a thriving democracy. 30 years after the Parthenon was constructed, democracy in Athens was no more.

Reinventing democracy to fit the challenges of the 21st century may sound like a tall order. But this is the mission of our generation and I am certain we will accomplish it.

Esteemed members of Congress,

Let me conclude by making a special reference to the one unshakable bond that will always bind our countries together. The Greek American community.

It is a special moment to see so many of you here with us today.

Over the past 120 years you have warmly welcomed, encouraged and supported the waves of immigrants who came to your country in search of a better life. Not to mention the students like me who spent seven years studying in American universities.

Those who sailed to this country were not philosophers and poets like their noble ancestors. For the most part, they were simple laborers, and they eagerly took any work they could find.

But no matter how uneducated the Greeks or how menial their work, they would typically apply themselves with great determination and embrace any chance to prosper in life and educate their children.

They offered them a brighter future, fulfilling the solemn duty that every generation should be able to live a better life than the previous one. They experienced the American dream, but never forgot where they came from.

Today the Greeks who live in the US and the three million Americans who identify themselves as Greeks include some of the most respected leaders in the arts, science, education, medicine, the judiciary, and, of course, politics.

Modern visionaries like Nikolas Negroponte and Albert Bourla. John Kassavetis and Elia Kazan. Jeffrey Evgenidis and George Pelekanos. Alexander Payne and Tom Hanks. And of course, Yannis Antetokounmpo.

Six of them are in this Congress and one of them, my friend Mike Dukakis, ran for president of the United States.

I think one of the reasons Greeks were accepted in America so readily is the fact that the values of America are Greek values. On of the qualities that Greeks value the most is called “Sophrosene,” a word best translated as self-control, temperance, and harmony.

The ancient Greeks thought arrogance, extremism, and excess the worst threats to democracy. “For man,” Aristotle wrote, “life according to reason is best and most pleasant, since reason more than anything else is man.”


That reason tells me we Greeks and Americans have a lot more to contribute as custodians of democracy. That government of the people, by the people, for the people shall thrive again.

I bring you here today the pledge of the Greek people that we stand together with the people of the United States whenever and wherever necessary to ensure that the hope our ancestors bequeathed to the world 25 centuries ago will endure, and the dream of freedom for every human being on this planet will never die.

Long live the friendship between Greece and the United States of America!

Thank you!

Republished from: Al Jazeera

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected international condemnation over the decision to change the status of Istanbul's landmark Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque, saying it represented his country's will to use its "sovereign rights".

In the past, he has repeatedly called for the stunning building to be renamed as a mosque and in 2018, he recited a verse from the Quran at Hagia Sophia.

"Those who do not take a step against Islamophobia in their own countries ... attack Turkey's will to use its sovereign rights," Erdogan said at a ceremony he attended via video-conference on Saturday.

The colossal Hagia Sophia was built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral and was converted into a mosque after the Ottomans conquered Constantinople, now Istanbul, in 1453. The secular Turkish government decided in 1934 to make it a museum.

Erdogan on Friday formally converted the building back into a mosque and declared it open for Muslim worship, hours after a high court annulled the 1934 decision turning it into a museum. He said Muslim prayers would begin at the UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 24.

Greece swiftly condemned the move as a provocation, France deplored it while the US also expressed disappointment.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko on Saturday said Moscow regretted the decision.

"The cathedral is on Turkey's territory, but it is without question everybody's heritage," he told the Interfax news agency.

The World Council of Churches wrote to Erdogan expressing "grief and dismay" over the move and urged him to reverse his decision.

As a World Heritage museum, "Hagia Sophia has been a place of openness, encounter and inspiration for people from all nations," interim secretary-general Ioan Sauca said in the letter released on Saturday.

Sauca said the museum status had been "a powerful expression" of Turkey's commitment to inclusion and secularism.

The influential bishop Hilarion, who heads the Russian Orthodox Church's department for external church relations, also expressed his sorrow.

"It is a blow to global Christianity ... For us [Hagia Sophia] remains a cathedral dedicated to the Saviour," he told state-controlled TV Rossiya24 late on Friday.

But Ozgur Unluhisarcikli, Ankara director of the German Marshall Fund, told AFP the move would win hearts and minds at home as most Turks "would favour such a decision for religious or nationalist sentiments.

"This is a debate president Erdogan cannot lose and the opposition cannot win. As a matter of fact, this issue also has the potential to disunite the opposition parties."

Erdogan's nationalist ally Devlet Bahceli welcomed the decision, saying that reopening Hagia Sophia to Muslim worship "has long been our desire".

"We wanted to come and visit Istanbul and the Hagia Sophia museum but unfortunately we realised that from today it is closed," said Renato Daleo, a tourist from Italy.

Ksennia Bessonova, a Russian living in Istanbul flanked by her 16-month-old daughter and her husband, said they had also wanted to visit. "It was our little dream because since our daughter was born we were not able to come and here we go," she said.

She hoped the authorities would not change anything inside.

"From what our friends and family were telling us it was something special and we wanted to feel the same. At the moment I am not sure what to expect but I feel sad in a way."

On Friday, Erdogan gave assurances that Hagia Sophia would be open to all visitors, including non-Muslims.

"The Hagia Sophia's doors will remain open to visitors from all around the world," his press aide Fahrettin Altun tweeted on Saturday.

"People of all religious denominations are welcome and encouraged to visit it - just as they have been able to visit other mosques, including the Blue Mosque."

Source: Al Jazeera

My dear friends,

With great sadness and heartache, we find ourselves in the midst of a fire crisis, which has unfolded in front of our eyes in recent days, here in our blessed Australia. We share the grief of the families and friends who lost their loved ones, including volunteer firefighters, who lost their lives while heroically battling hellfire. Beyond the precious human lives lost, the destruction of thousands of hectares of land, fruit trees, precious vineyards, local businesses, innocent wildlife and thousands of homes, the fires have created serious living problems for many of our fellow humans.

The Holy Archdiocese of Australia hurts deeply with the pain and suffering of all those affected. However, we know well that gentle and sensitive words are not enough. Many of our compatriots need real material help at this time, having lost everything from the disasters caused by fires around the country. So, it’s time for the words to become action. It is time to turn Christian teaching into practical and organized love and charity for our neighbour.

For this reason, on Sunday, January 5th, a collection tray will be circulated in all Greek Orthodox parishes of Australia. All money collected from this fundraiser will reach the people who need it.

At the same time we call on everyone who wants and can – Greeks and non-Greeks, Orthodox and non-Orthodox, Christians and non-Christians, faithful and non-believers, young and old, even young children and students of all levels of our nation’s schools – we invite all of you to deposit your donation at:

Greek Orthodox Fire Appeal
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
BSB:082-057
ACCOUNT:616958567

Or donate via the various websites of our Archdiocese, parishes and charities.

We must help our suffering sisters and brothers. All donations over $ 2 will be tax-exempt. Within forty days the Archdiocese will publish the names of the donors, the amounts each has deposited, and how the money was distributed. Please warmly offer as generously as you can.

I also paternally urge our people not to lose hope in God. God’s love will undoubtedly be dominant over this tragedy and the suffering we face. I ask that we pray. Let us kneel and fervently beg our philanthropist Lord to release the rain from the skies to put out these most devastating fires that have shaken our beautiful Australia. With Christ at the centre, let us unite our hearts and souls so that our silent cries reach the throne of God.

With the opportunity of this press release, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia expresses once again its sincere congratulations to the volunteer firefighters. We are all proud of them because they have spent endless hours and days trying to save lives and property. Their courageous sacrifice and their brave altruism are admirable.

Finally, I convey to all, the deep concern and blessings of our Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who despite his many obligations, focuses his heart’s love and fatherly care, here in far-off Australia, and is constantly monitoring the critical situation that is afflicting our country.

My dear friends, I’m sure you will respond, not to the voice of your Archbishop, but to the pain of our fellow human beings. Open your heart and your embrace.

Thank you in advance for your immediate response and I hope that no one ever experiences the inferno of fire, neither in this life, nor in the next.

With paternal wishes and in the Lord love

Your Archbishop

+ Makarios of Australia

Με μεγάλη θλίψη και πόνο καρδιάς βιώνουμε την κρίση των πυρκαγιών, που ξεδιπλώνεται μπροστά στα μάτια μας τις τελευταίες ημέρες, εδώ στην ευλογημένη Αυστραλία μας. Συμμεριζόμαστε τη θλίψη των οικογενειών και των φίλων, που έχασαν τα αγαπημένα τους πρόσωπα, συμπεριλαμβανομένων των εθελοντών πυροσβεστών, που έχασαν τη ζωή τους, ενώ μάχονταν ηρωικά με την κόλαση της φωτιάς. Πέρα από τις πολύτιμες ανθρώπινες ζωές που χάθηκαν, η καταστροφή χιλιάδων εκταρίων γης, οπωροφόρων δένδρων, πολύτιμων αμπελώνων, τοπικών επιχειρήσεων, αθώων ειδών άγριας πανίδας και χιλιάδων σπιτιών έχει δημιουργήσει σοβαρά προβλήματα διαβίωσης σε πολλούς συνανθρώπους μας.

Η Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Αυστραλίας συμμερίζεται τον πόνο και συμπάσχει με όλους όσους έχουν πληγεί. Ωστόσο, το ξέρουμε καλά, ότι τα ευγενικά και ευαίσθητα λόγια δεν αρκούν. Πολλοί συμπατριώτες μας χρειάζονται έμπρακτη υλική βοήθεια τούτη την ώρα, αφού έχουν χάσει τα πάντα από τις καταστροφές που προκλήθηκαν από πυρκαγιές σε όλη σχεδόν τη χώρα. Είναι καιρός, λοιπόν, τα λόγια να γίνουν πράξη. Είναι καιρός να μετατρέψουμε τη Χριστιανική διδασκαλία σε έμπρακτη και οργανωμένη αγάπη και φιλανθρωπία για τον πλησίον.

Για τον λόγο αυτό την Κυριακή, 5 Ιανουαρίου, θα περιαχθεί δίσκος σε όλες τις Ελληνορθόδοξες Ενορίες της Αυστραλίας. Τα χρήματα που θα συλλεγούν από αυτό τον έρανο, θα διασφαλίσουμε ότι θα φτάσουν στους ανθρώπους που τα έχουν ανάγκη.

Παράλληλα καλούμε όλους όσους θέλουν και μπορούν – Έλληνες και μη Έλληνες, Ορθοδόξους και μη Ορθοδόξους, Χριστιανούς και μη Χριστιανούς, πιστούς και αθέους, μικρούς και μεγάλους, ακόμη και τα μικρά παιδιά και τους μαθητές όλων των βαθμίδων των σχολείων της χώρας – να καταθέσουν χρήματα στον τραπεζικό λογαριασμό, που υπάρχει για τον συγκεκριμένο σκοπό, με τα στοιχεία:

Ελληνικός Ορθόδοξος Έρανος Πυρκαγιών

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AUSTRALIA
ΝΑΒ ΒΑΝΚ
BSB:082-057
ACCOUNT:616958567

Ή να κάνουν δωρεές μέσω των διαφόρων ιστοτόπων της Αρχιεπισκοπής μας, των ενοριών και των φιλανθρωπικών οργανώσεων, προκειμένου να βοηθήσουμε τους εμπερίστατους αδελφούς μας.

Όλες οι δωρεές άνω των $2 θα είναι απαλλαγμένες από φορολογία, ενώ μέσα σε σαράντα ημέρες η Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Αυστραλίας θα δημοσιεύσει τα ονόματα των δωρητών, τα ποσά τα οποία κατέθεσε ο καθένας, καθώς και το πώς τα χρήματα διανεμήθηκαν. Σας παρακαλώ θερμώς να προσφέρετε όσο πιο γενναιόδωρα μπορείτε.

Ακόμη, προτρέπω πατρικώς όλους τους ανθρώπους μας να μην χάνουν τις ελπίδες τους προς το Θεό. Η αγάπη του Θεού, αναμφισβήτητα, θα κυριαρχήσει μέσα από την τραγωδία και τα βάσανα που αντιμετωπίζουμε. Σας προτείνω να προσευχηθούμε. Να γονατίσουμε και να παρακαλέσουμε θερμά τον φιλάνθρωπο Κύριό μας να απελευθερώσει τη βροχή από τους ουρανούς, για να σβήσει τις πιο καταστρεπτικές φωτιές που έχουν κλονίσει μέχρι τώρα την όμορφη Αυστραλία μας. Με κέντρο το Χριστό, ας ενώσουμε τις καρδιές και τις ψυχές μας, έτσι ώστε οι σιωπηλές μας κραυγές να φτάσουν στο θρόνο του Θεού.

Με την ευκαιρία του παρόντος Δελτίου Τύπου, η Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Αυστραλίας εκφράζει, για μία ακόμη φορά, τα θερμά της συγχαρητήρια στους εθελοντές πυροσβέστες. Είμαστε όλοι υπερήφανοι γι’ αυτούς, διότι έχουν περάσει ατελείωτες ώρες και ημέρες προσπαθώντας να σώσουν ζωές και περιουσίες. Η θαρραλέα θυσία τους και ο γενναίος αλτρουισμός τους είναι αξιοθαύμαστοι.

Τέλος, μεταφέρω σε όλους τις ευχές του Οικουμενικού μας Πατριάρχου κ. Βαρθολομαίου, ο οποίος, παρά τις πολλές του υποχρεώσεις, στρέφει την αγάπη της καρδιάς και την πατρική του μέριμνα εδώ στην μακρινή Αυστραλία και συνεχώς ενημερώνεται για την κρίσιμη κατάσταση που βασανίζει τη χώρα μας.

Αγαπητοί μου φίλες και φίλοι,

Είμαι σίγουρος ότι θα ανταποκριθείτε, όχι στη φωνή του Αρχιεπισκόπου σας, αλλά στον πόνο των συνανθρώπων μας. Ανοίξτε την καρδιά σας και απλώστε τα χέρια σας.

Σας ευχαριστώ εκ των προτέρων για την άμεση ανταπόκρισή σας και εύχομαι κανείς ποτέ να μην βιώσει την κόλαση της φωτιάς, ούτε σε αυτή τη ζωή ούτε και στην άλλη.

Με πατρικές ευχές και εν Κυρίω αγάπη

Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπός σας

+Ο Αυστραλίας Μακάριος

_____
​Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey's military offensive into northeast Syria is as "vital" to Turkey as its 1974 military intervention in Cyprus, which split the island in two.

In a speech he delivered in Baku, Azerbaijan on Monday, Erdogan also made clear Turkey would not halt its offensive despite the widespread condemnation it has drawn.

Turkey launched its offensive into northeastern Syria last week to carve out a "safe zone" along its border, ostensibly to push out Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers to be terrorists because of their links to Kurdish militants in Turkey.

Erdogan said: "We are determined to take our operation to the end. We will finish what we started. A hoisted flag does not come down."

Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot state on the island's northern third.

​Source: Kathimerini

The accession protocol for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to join NATO under the new name North Macedonia was approved by a Parliamentary Committee on Thursday.

The protocol is to go the House plenary on Friday for debate followed by a vote which is expected to approve it, bringing FYROM one step closer to joining the alliance.
 
Ahead of the discussion on Thursday, Independent Greeks leader Panos Kammenos, who quit the government over Greece's name deal with FYROM last month, called for an enhanced majority of 180 votes in the 300-seat House for the protocol which, he said, cedes Greek sovereign rights. 

​Source: Kathimerini English

A vote on the Prespes name deal is expected to take place in Greece's Parliament on Thursday night with debate having started at committee level on Monday afternoon before moving to the plenary, House speaker Nikos Voutsis said Monday.

The decision was preceded by much debate about the composition of the foreign affairs committee which is to examine the accord before it goes to the plenary session in view of several recent changes involving MPs switching leaving the Potami and Movement for Change parties.

As a result, Spyros Danellis, who was ejected from Potami for backing the government in last week's confidence vote, is to sit on the committee as an independent.

Independent Greeks (AN.EL) leader Panos Kammenos, who quit the coalition on January 13, is to replace ANEL MP Konstantinos Katsikis as the party's representative on the panel.

Following the ejection of Thanassis Theoharopoulos from KINAL, the party's second seat on the committee is to be filled by an independent to be chosen by lot.

​With the current balance in the committee, 28 MPs are in favor of the deal with 27 against.

​Source: Kathimerini

Following two days of vehement debate in Parliament, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras won a motion of confidence in his government late on Wednesday with 151 votes in favor and 148 against.

Attention now shifts to a vote on the "North Macedonia" name deal, which is expected to come to Parliament early next week and whose passage is less certain. 

In a speech to MPs before the vote, Tsipras said a vote of confidence in his government amounted to a vote for “stability.” “I took the risk showing political courage because what we have ahead of us demands clear solutions,” he said. 

For his part, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated his call for general elections and warned that a confidence vote in the government was like an “approval of the shipwrecked state of the country over the last four years.” He also said it “will pave the way for the recognition of a so-called Macedonian ethnicity and language, as stated in the Prespes accord.” 

However, Tsipras cited a note verbale issued by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia yesterday which provided further assurances with regard to Greek concerns over the name accord.

Tsipras said the note reaffirms that the term “nationality” refers exclusively to nationality and does not designate or predetermine the ethnicity of FYROM’s people. Moreover, it also groups Macedonian in the Slavic group of languages.

The outlook for a vote on the Prespes deal between Greece and FYROM, which is expected in the coming days, was unclear.

Centrist To Potami leader Stavros Theodorakis did not confirm whether his party would support the pact as it had initially pledged to do. He simply declared that a vote of confidence in the government was tantamount to support for the Prespes deal but contended that the opposite does not apply. “A positive vote for the Prespes deal does not mean a vote of confidence in the government,” he said. 

The outcome of the Prespes vote is largely dependent on how Potami will vote. Tsipras can count on up to 149 votes at the moment – from the 145 SYRIZA MPs, Deputy Citizens’ Protection Minister Katerina Papacosta, who is an independent MP, Spyros Danellis, an independent who was thrown out of Potami, Independent Greeks MP Thanasis Papachristopoulos and Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura. 

The government had also originally counted on Theodorakis, who has described the approval of the deal as a “patriotic duty.”

However, his position is complicated by the fact that two of his MPs – Giorgos Amyras and Grigoris Psarianos – are not only threatening to vote down the deal but also to quit if the party leadership insists on supporting the Prespes deal. If they do quit, the party would be left with three MPs, below the minimum of five required for representation in Parliament.

The party’s political council is to meet today to decide on its position.

The stance of Democratic Left (DIMAR) leader Thanasis Theoharopoulos could also be pivotal. He had also expressed a positive view of the deal in principle but is expected to take a final decision when party officials convene on Sunday.

Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said the administration’s aim was to secure 151 votes, though he added that technically this is not necessary.

Authorities are bracing for a rally on Sunday against the Prespes agreement in Athens as protests last year drew large crowds.

There are concerns about possible violence as tensions have peaked ahead of the Prespes deal vote. Police in the region of Macedonia arrested four people, two in Grevena and two in Kozani, over the past two days for sticking up “wanted” posters of politicians who have expressed support for the agreement. Another six people were detained in Serres after being found with such posters in their possession.

The arrests follow reports of politicians receiving threats warning them not to support the deal. A 62-year-old former navy officer was arrested earlier this week after allegedly admitting to sending threats to Papacosta.

​Source: Kathimerini English

The Greek passport ranks in seventh place among the most powerful in the world, according to global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners, which compiles an annual index.

Greeks can go to 184 destinations without aplying for a visa, along with Belgians and Canadians.

The ranking is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which maintains the world’s largest and most accurate database of travel information, and on extensive research by Henley & Partners.

Japan tops the index with its citizens enjoying visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 190 destinations.

It is followed by Singapore and South Korea in joint second place, with access to 189 destinations around the globe, France and Germany in third place, Denmark, Finland, Italy, and Sweden come in fourth, while Spain and Luxembourg are in fifth.

Source: Kathimerini English Edition

On 15 November, Ankara’s mouthpiece in occupied Cyprus Mustafa Akinci ‘celebrated’, as he does every year, the purported establishment of Turkey’s illegal subordinate administration in the northern area of the Republic of Cyprus that Turkish forces arbitrarily seized in 1974. 

​Despite Akinci’s proclamations, the so-called ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ remains the crude product of illegality and mass inhumanity. While Mr Akinci might purport to be its ‘president’, UN resolutions 541 and 550 are clear. The ‘unilateral declaration of independence’ purportedly made on 15 November 1983 is part of a pattern of ‘secessionist acts’.  Furthermore, it is ‘legally invalid’ and must be withdrawn. In the meantime, all states must ‘respect’ the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of the Republic of Cyprus.

It is noteworthy that in an Advisory Opinion relating to Kosovo, dated 22 July 2010, the International Court of Justice compared the illegal declaration of independence in the Turkish-occupied zone of the Republic of Cyprus with those relating to ‘Southern Rhodesia’ in 1965 and ‘Republika Srpska’ in 1992. According to the International Court of Justice, ‘the illegality’ of each of these of these ‘declarations’, including the one purportedly made in the Turkish-occupied zone, ‘stemmed not from the unilateral character of these declarations as such, but from the fact that they were, or would have been, connected with the unlawful use of force or other egregious violations of norms of general international law, in particular those of a peremptory character (jus cogens).’ (Accordance with International Law of the Unilateral Declaration of Independence in Respect of Kosovo, Advisory Opinion, I.C.J. Reports 2010, page 403 at paragraph 81.)

It is a well known fact that in the summer of 1974, the armed forces of Turkey twice invaded the Republic of Cyprus. In the process, as confirmed by a report of the European Commission of Human Rights adopted on 10 July 1976, these forces illegally inflicted various forms of mass inhumanity, including the mass rape of women. And it is clear that Turkey invaded not only in order to forcibly displace the Greeks and Christians who formed the overwhelming majority of the lawful population in what became the occupied areas in the north. Turkey also sought to create a de facto Turkish-populated zone, to colonise it with citizens of Turkey, to eradicate its Hellenic/Christian culture and to manufacture a subordinate local administration fronted by the likes of Mr Akinci.

Thus, the illegal rogue regime in the Turkish-occupied zone is a secessionist, segregationist, supremacist and racist entity. However, it continues to exist on a de facto basis because the world has chosen to appease Ankara rather than implement Resolutions 541 and 550 in practice. As a consequence of this policy of appeasement, the Turkish-occupied zone has become a haven for criminals, fugitives from justice and perpetrators of barbaric practices. For example, the annual US State Department reports on human trafficking, including the 2018 edition, have branded the Turkish-occupied zone as ‘a zone of impunity for human trafficking’, including the trafficking of children exposed to the risk of being subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labour.

President Erdogan and Mr Akinci may choose to ‘celebrate’ illegality and inhumanity. However, the rest of the world must respond by taking concrete steps to terminate, not legalise, the rogue subordinate regime of Ankara and the protracted Turkish occupation which ensures its de facto survival.

Source: Lobby For Cyprus

Turkish provocations undermine the stability of the region at a crucial juncture and demonstrate the weakness of Turkey’s legal arguments.

Greece is not going to be influenced by the neighbouring country’s outbursts of aggressive rhetoric. On the contrary, as a factor of stability and security in the region, Greece will continue, in collaboration with its allies and partners, to defend international law and its own inalienable rights.

Whatever their differences, the rest of the countries in the Eastern Mediterranean recognise that energy must be a bridge of dialogue and cooperation in our region. Instead of insisting on threats and on its illegal claims and challenges, Turkey ought to adhere to this responsible stance.

​Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic

Greek authorities have been in contact with their  Albanian counterparts and are closely following and monitoring the developments related to an incident in the Albanian village of Bularat where a Greek citizen allegedly opened fire on Albanian police with a Kalashnikov as they were attempting to apprehend him.

A short while ago, we were formally informed that Konstantinos Katsifas was killed during an exchange of fire with Albanian police.

We express our deep sorrow on the death of the Greek expatriate, as well as our condolences to his family.

In any case, it is unacceptable that the operation led to the loss of human life.

We await for the Albanian authorities to provide complete clarification about the conditions under which the Greek citizen lost his life, and we shall proceed with all necessary action immediately.

Source: With notes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic

As part of this year's Oxi Day commemoration events for October 28, two formal Memorial Ceremonies in Honour of the Fallen Greek Soldiers of the Greek-Italian War of 1940-1941 are going to be organised on Sunday, October 28, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at the Military Cemetery of Këlcyrë, and at 12:00 p.m. at the Historical Military Cemetery of Bularat, Albania.

This year's commemoration events in Albania are taking place following the completion of the recent search, exhumation, identification and official burial of 673 fallen Greek soldiers who have been laid to rest in the aforementioned Military Cemeteries.

The remains of the 673 Greek soldiers were found in the Dragot region. The search for other fallen Greek soldiers will continue throughout various locations in southern Albania.

For the first time in history, the memorial ceremony will be organised in collaboration with the Albanian government as per the stipulations of the Inter-State Agreement of Cooperation between Greece and Albania “on the search, exhumation, identification and burial of Greek soldiers who fell in battle in Albania during the Greek-Italian war of 1940-1941 and the construction of cemeteries on the territory of the Republic of Albania for their burial.” 

​The Agreement was implemented following the meetings between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Greece and Albania in Crete, in November 2017, and in Korçë in January 2018.

Source: With notes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic

Amidst international expectations of a renewed push to jump-start Cyprus settlement talks, PM Alexis Tsipras and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the full range of bilateral relations during a one-hour meeting today on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York.

The two countries’ foreign ministers, Nikos Kotzias and Mevlut Cavusoglu were present at the meeting, as was Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar, who was serving as chairman of Turkey’s Joint Chiefs of Staff when he was tapped for the cabinet post.

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Ankara released two Greek army officers that had been incarcerated in a Turkish prison for over five months, after being arrested in the Evros border region. The incident had heightened tensions between the two countries.

However, beyond the niceties and broad smiles, there were indications of a gradual normalisation of the two countries’ relations, as Erdogan invited Tsipras to Istanbul for talks.

Greek analysts and pundits have expressed the view that the crisis in US-Turkey reations has pushed Erdogan to seek to draw closer to the EU, and that Greece can play a key role in promoting that objective.

Aside from the prospect of renewed Cyprus talks, energy issues and Turkey’s hostile activity in Cyprus, the EEZ and the Aegean, Greek government sources said that Aegean tensions and implementation of the EU-Turkey refugee agreement were high on the agenda.

The Greek PM’s office publicised the meeting with a tweet: “Μeeting with the President of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly # UNGA”.

Source: To Vima

ATHENS — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he very much welcomed seeing the Eastern Mediterranean region “through a Greek lens” as he finished consultations with his counterpart, Greek navy Adm. Evangelos Apostolakis, the chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff.

Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford told reporters traveling with him that the bilateral relationship between the two NATO allies “is probably as good as it has been in many, many years.”

Dunford and Apostolakis discussed the situation in the region. Greece looks north into the Balkans, east to the Middle East and south into Libya and the rest of North Africa. “[He] shared some thoughts about the region, and I greatly benefited from the perspective of the Greeks, who have a regional view,” the chairman said.

Increased Cooperation

The Greeks are open to increasing military cooperation with the United States, he said. “[They] made a general overture saying they would be willing to consider that, and I certainly was enthusiastic about the possibility,” Dunford said.

U.S. European Command and the State Department will work with Greek ministries to continue these conversations, he said.

“If you look at geography and you look at current operations in Libya and current operations in Syria, [and] you look at potential operations in the Eastern Mediterranean, the opportunities here are pretty significant,” the chairman said.

Dunford said hearing directly from the Greek military about their experiences with the refugee crisis gave him a better appreciation of the scope of the problem and the capabilities they brought to bear on it. “They also have some interesting perspectives on the Russian naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean, as well,” he said. “I think we both agreed that we are seeing something we haven’t seen since the 1980s in terms of the operational patterns of the Russians in the area.”

The two leaders talked about the importance of sharing information and intelligence particularly in the area of counterterrorism, the chairman said.

Expanded Base Access

Dunford said the Greek defense chief “expressed interest in expanding our access to their bases.”

This access can be used to move personnel and equipment in and out of theater.

“We … have taken advantage of Souda Bay -- it’s a critical piece of infrastructure here in the region, and Greece has also been open to expanding training opportunities for our forces that are stationed in Europe, in particular for U.S. Army units to do training with helicopters,” he said.

The two men talked about deepening relationships through the International Military and Training program. This program increases military-to-military engagement through service member exchanges. Young Greek service members attend U.S. professional military education schools and young Americans attend Greek schools. He noted that Apostolakis attended the Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Warfare School -- then the Amphibious Warfare School -- earlier in his career and the Greek army chief of staff attended a school in Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Finally, Greece also plays a unique role in the region in terms of bringing together multinational exercises. The United States is certainly amenable to participating in those exercises, Dunford said.

The U.S.-Greek relationship is in “a very positive place” today, a senior government official said here on background today, and the foundation to this turn of events has been the defense relationship between the two nations.

Regional Concerns

Greece has suffered through an economic crisis from which the country is still recovering. Yet the nation continued to spend 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense -- a benchmark for NATO members.

“The Greeks live in this neighborhood and they have been looking around and seeing the same instability that we have,” the official said.

Greece is nervous about NATO ally Turkey and want that country to remain firmly rooted in the West, the official added. They also confronted the refugee crisis with limited resources, but see the possibility of it continuing.

“They are deeply concerned with what is happening in Libya and Africa, because even if Syria stabilizes, you’ve got Africa that is right on their doorstep,” the official said.

The Greeks, too, are worried about what the Russians are up to in the Black Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean, the official said. “They are looking around, and the U.S. is still the best partner available to them.”

On the security front, more is happening. In addition to NATO forces, U.S. European Command, U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Special Operations Command use the facilities at the Naval Support Activity in Souda Bay.

The U.S. Air Force is now operating MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles at Greece’s Larissa Air Force Base. The unarmed UAVs will focus on information-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance in the region.

Both Dunford and the official said the United States is not looking for large bases in Greece. The U.S. footprint in the country will remain light. But there will probably be more American service members rotating in and out of the country for training, education and exercises.

Source: Joint Chiefs of Staff

Anton Aldemir lives in Switzerland since June 2011. At the beginning of this year, he went to the Turkish Embassy in Bern to obtain a new passport. The Consular office of the Embassy took his old passport but told him that he would not receive a new one because Turkey had issued a warrant for his arrest on sight.

Anton Aldemir as he was growing up was raised by his family as a Muslim. As a result of inquiries, he found out from his father named Manav that on his mother’s side [Anton] was a Greek. He was born and reared in the center of Izmit (ancient Nicomedia) Province and learned through a DNA testing in 2012 that he is not an ethnic Turk from Central Asia, but Anton’s ancestors have lived in Asia Minor for thousands of years.

A tradition that attracted his attention led him to search for his identity. The fact that the Cappadocia Greeks played in folk songs using spoons just like they did in Anton’s family and realizing that his ancestors played “defi”, [an instrument] made from animal skin and a few other traditional characteristics led him to his [ethnic] identity. He learned that his grandmother's brother (Pehlivan Çakıcı İzzet of Izmit) was Greek speaking or Hellene.

Anton read many works written in this subject as books, articles, etc. and learned about the anguish that occurred in this land a hundred years ago. Similar tragedies happened to Armenians, Syriacs [Assyrians] and Greeks or Hellenes and he started discussions exchanging information with others about the matter.

2011 Haziran ayından itibaren İsviçre’de yaşayan Anton Aldemir, bu yılın başında Türkiye pasaportunu uzatmak için TC Bern Büyükelçiliğine başvurur. Konsolosluk eski pasaportunu alır ancak yeni pasaport alamayacağını söyler. Nedenini soran Anton’a ise Türkiye’ye hakkında yürütülen bir dava olduğunu, arandığını, görüldüğü yerde tutuklanması gerektiğini söyler.
​
Anton Aldemir çocukken ailesi tarafından Müslüman olarak yetiştirilmiş. Ailesi okulda kim olduğunu sorarlarsa biz baba tarafından Manav, anne tarafından Rumeli muhaciriyiz diye söylersin şeklinde telkinlerde bulunurmuş. İzmit Merkez ilçesinde doğan, çocukluğu ve gençliği de burada geçen  Anton 2012 yılında DNA testi yaptırır ve Orta Asya kökenli yani etnik Türk olmadığını öğrenir. Test sonuçları Anton’un atalarının binlerce yıldır Küçük Asya’da yaşadığını gösterir.
​
İlgisini çeken bir gelenek onu kimlik arayışına yönlendirir. Kapadokya Rumlarının kaşıkla oynadıkları halkoyunlarının neredeyse benzerini ailesindeki büyüklerin de oynuyor olması, hayvan derilerinden ‘def’ yapıp müzikler çalınması ve diğer kimi geleneksel motiflerden yola çıkarak soyunu araştırmaya yönelir.
Babaannesinin ağabeyinin (Pehlivan Çakıcı İzzet/ İzmit) Rumca/Helence konuştuğunu öğrenir.
​
Bu konuda yazılmış bir çok eseri, kitap, makale vb. okuyan Anton her şeyden önemlisi yüz yıl önce bu topraklarda yaşanmış acıları fark eder.  Benzer acıları yaşayan Ermeni, Süryani ve Rum/Helenlerle tanışır, sohbet eder, bilgi alış verişinde bulunur.

Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, has published its analyses of the situation in the Western Balkans in 2017 and in the first quarter of 2018.

The annual analysis points to a 92 per cent drop in the number of illegal border-crossings by migrants from outside of the Western Balkans region to roughly 19,000 from more than 260,000 in 2016. 

According to Frontex Western Balkans Q1 report, in the first three months of this year the number of illegal border-crossings by non-regional migrants fell 10 per cent compared to the same quarter of last year, as well as in the last quarter of 2017. 

The continued pressure along the Greece-Albania-Montenegro-Bosnia and Herzegovina-Croatia sub-route remains indicative of migrants trying to bypass existing security measures along the main route via Serbia.

2017 Figures 

In all of 2017, the six Western Balkan countries reported 631 cases of document fraud, the second highest number since data collection began in 2009.

As in previous years, non-regional migrants continued to attempt to enter the Western Balkans across the southern common borders with Greece and Bulgaria before heading north and trying to exit the region largely at the northern common borders of Hungary, Croatia or Romania with Serbia.

Afghan and Pakistani were the two main reported nationalities, accounting for roughly 32% and 30%, respectively, of the overall number of detections involving non-regional migrants. Syrians ranked third in 2017 accounting for 8% of the total.

The largest number of illegal border-crossings of regional migrants occurred at the common land borders between Greece, Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia [FYROM]. 

Cooperation between law enforcement authorities and enhanced border control measures were key to reducing migration pressure in the region. 

Firearms and drugs smuggling

Cannabis, mostly grown in the region and trafficked internally or to the EU, was the main smuggled narcotic substance in the region last year. More than 23 tonnes were detected by Albania, Montenegro Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. There were also 209 detections of smuggled firearms and ammunition. Most of them were detected in Serbia, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Last year, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia [FYROM] dismantled two organised migrant-smuggling groups arranging the transportation of migrants from Greece towards Serbia and onwards.

Read the Western Balkans Annual Risk Analysis report.

Read the Western Balkans Q1 report.

Source: Frontex

Source: Ekathimerini English

Washington – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action today targeting Turkey’s Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu, both of whom played leading roles in the organizations responsible for the arrest and detention of Pastor Andrew Brunson.  These officials serve as leaders of Turkish government organizations responsible for implementing Turkey’s serious human rights abuses, and are being targeted pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13818, “Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption,” which builds upon Treasury’s Global Magnitsky Act authorities. 

“Pastor Brunson’s unjust detention and continued prosecution by Turkish officials is simply unacceptable,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.  “President Trump has made it abundantly clear that the United States expects Turkey to release him immediately.”

Pastor Andrew Brunson has reportedly been a victim of unfair and unjust detention by the Government of Turkey.  He was arrested in Izmir, Turkey in October 2016, and with an absence of evidence to support the charges, he was accused of aiding armed terrorist organizations and obtaining confidential government information for political and military espionage.  

As the head of Turkey’s Ministry of Justice, Abdulhamit Gul is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being the leader of an entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious human rights abuse. 

As head of Turkey’s Ministry of Interior, Suleyman Soylu is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13818 for being the leader of an entity that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, serious human rights abuse.

As a result of these actions, any property, or interest in property, of both Turkey’s Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gul and Turkey’s Minister of Interior Suleyman Soylu within U.S. jurisdiction is blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.

Identifying information on the individuals designated today.

Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury

The Turkish foreign ministry is warning foreign diplomats in the Republic of Cyprus not to overstep their authority, following comments by Israeli and Egyptian ambassadors in Nicosia during a diaspora conference last week.

On Monday, Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hami Aksoy accused the Republic of Cyprus of “disregarding the inalienable rights of Turkish Cypriots on natural resources.”

The statement came one week following remarks by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who took to social media to say that Turkish Cypriots would not accept anything less than political equality in Cyprus.

“Greek Cypriots must stop acting like the sole owners of Cyprus. The fact that both sides on the island are politically equal will never change,” Cavusoglu wrote on Twitter.

But Aksoy’s statement went further, pointing fingers at comments made by foreign ambassadors in Nicosia, who spoke during an international conference of Greek Cypriot Diaspora last week.

“The remarks made by some Ambassadors during a recent conference in the Greek Cypriot Administration, in support of the unilateral hydrocarbon-related activities being conducted by the Greek Cypriots in the Eastern Mediterranean, are unwarranted,” he said.

Aksoy did not name the diplomats in his statement, except to say that his country would “recommend to the representatives of the relevant countries that they do not exceed their authority.”

According to Turkish media, the statement was a direct reference to the Israeli, Egyptian, and US ambassadors in Nicosia, who attended the Diaspora conference between July 25 and 27.

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, addressed the conference where foreign ambassadors also took part in a round table discussion, offering their remarks on natural gas exploration in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Ambassadors in their own words

Israeli ambassador to Nicosia Sammy Ravel, according to CNA News Agency, told the audience that he “hoped military force would not be necessary against Turkish provocations.”

Egyptian ambassador Mai Taha Mohammed Khalil also spoke on the issue, saying “we hope we don’t reach the point where we will have to use the military in the area,” while adding “we will provide any possible assistance to Cyprus.”

US Ambassador Kathleen Doherty also reiterated the US position on natural gas exploratory drilling and the rights of the Republic of Cyprus, saying that the former US secretary of state had gone to Ankara and told his counterpart that “Turkey’s behaviour was unacceptable.”

Greek Ambassador Elias Fotopoulos also spoke in the conference, saying his country remained hopeful for a positive outcome in a possible new round of peace talks on Cyprus, “as long as Turkey shows the necessary will and the international community continues to support the process.”

Ankara recently upped the ante on rhetoric regarding a possible settlement in Cyprus, reiterating its position on political equality between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots and insisting that no international agreements on Cypriot natural gas reserves could be signed without overall agreement between the two sides.

​Source: Kathimerini Cyprus