Category: GREECE

News about Greece

14,000 Discarded Refugee Lifejackets Traveling to Berlin for Art Project

About 14,000 lifejackets used and discarded by refugees and migrants after their arrival on the coast of Lesvos travelled to Berlin on Tuesday so that they can be used by Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei for a new art project.

The decision to give away the used lifejackets — bought by refugees in Turkey and most of them flimsy — was taken by the island’s mayor, Spyros Galinos, who told ANA-MPA that the aim is to create a work that “will affect and mobilize the entire international community regarding the crime that takes place every day in the Aegean by unscrupulous traffickers.”

He also said the island will have the “distinctive honor” of having a monument created by Weiwei in Lesvos, which will be dedicated to the refugees making the perilous journey towards Europe.

Municipal authorities have gathered hundreds of thousands of lifejackets during the past year from various landing areas around Lesvos.

(greece.greekreporter.com)

February 10, 2016
Designs for new kiosks chosen

The Greek capital may see a new generation of kiosks after the City of Athens handed out awards Tuesday for three designs to replace the old street stands.

The municipality has removed 214 defunct kiosks from the city’s sidewalks since 2012. It recently held a competition for architects to come up with a new design for the structures.

“The image of illegal extensions around today’s kiosks has to come to an end,” said Athens Mayor Giorgos Kaminis.

“Athens needs a new, pioneering, functional and good-looking kiosk to improve the urban landscape and the capital’s image,” he added.

The winning designs are expected to form the basis for any new kiosks erected in Athens. They are on display at the Technopolis cultural complex.

(www.ekathimerini.com)

February 1, 2016
Greek association Agkalia awarded 2016 Raoul Wallenberg Prize of the Council of Europe

The jury of the Council of Europe Raoul Wallenberg Prize has awarded the 2016 Prize to Agkalia, a Greek association acting on the island of Lesvos, for its outstanding achievements in providing frontline assistance to thousands of refugees irrespective of their origin and religion.

As the Greek island of Lesvos has become a European gateway for refugees, Agkalia has been providing temporary shelter, food, water and medical aid to people in need, assisting some 17.000 refugees and migrants since May 2015. Agkalia’s activities furthermore promote tolerance through awareness-raising, fighting against racism and discrimination of any kind.

Founded by Father Efstratios (“Papa-Stratis”), who passed away in September 2015, Agkalia has continued to gain steady support as its devoted associates pursue the Father’s endeavour.

“As a small and flexible local organisation based on volunteers, Agkalia sets a leading example of effective action by European civil society on a burning global issue”, stated Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, announcing the jury’s decision. “Agkalia’s activities reflect the fundamental values of the Council of Europe and contribute to its combat for human rights in Europe and beyond,” he added.

The award ceremony of the prize, which amounts to 10.000 euros, has taken place on 13 January 2016 at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg.

(www.coe.int)

January 27, 2016
Greek NGO Agalia awarded Raoul Wallenberg Prize for ‘outstanding’ work with refugees

The jury of the Council of Europe awarded the 2016 Raoul Wallenberg Prize to Agalia, a Greek NGO operating on the island of Lesvos, for “outstanding achievements in providing frontline assistance to thousands of refugees irrespective of their origin and religion,” the European body announced last week.

The jury notes that Lesvos has become a European gateway for refugees and hails the exemplary work of Agalia, saying it has been providing temporary shelter, food, water and medical aid to people in need, assisting some 17,000 refugees and migrants since May 2015. Through its work to assist refugees, Agalia also promotes tolerance and human rights, the jury adds.

Founded by Father Efstratios (known “Papa-Stratis”), who passed away in September 2015, Agalia has continued to gain steady support as its devoted associates pursue the Father’s endeavor.

“As a small and flexible local organization based on volunteers, Agalia sets a leading example of effective action by European civil society on a burning global issue,” stated Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, announcing the jury’s decision. “Agalia’s activities reflect the fundamental values of the Council of Europe and contribute to its work to promote and protect human rights in Europe and beyond,” he added.

The award ceremony of the 10,000-euro prize takes place on January 13, 2016, at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg.

The Council of Europe Raoul Wallenberg Prize was established in 2012 at the initiative of the Swedish Government and the Hungarian Parliament. The first prize, which is biennial, was awarded in January 2014 to Elmas Arus, Turkish film director of Roma origin.

(www.ekathimerini.com)

January 27, 2016
Greek islanders to be nominated for Nobel peace prize

Greek islanders who have been on the frontline of the refugee crisis are to be nominated for the Nobel peace prize with the support of their national government.

Of the 900,000 refugees who entered Europe last year most were received –scared, soaked and travelling in rickety boats – by those who live on the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea.

The islanders, including fishermen who gave up their work to rescue people from the sea, are in line to be honoured with one of the world’s most esteemed awards. Eminent academics from the universities of Oxford, Princeton, Harvard, Cornell and Copenhagen are drafting a submission in favour of awarding the prize to the people of Lesbos, Kos, Chíos, Samos, Rhodes and Leros.

The nomination deadline is 1 February, but those behind the plan have already met the Greek minister for migration, Yiannis Mouzalas, who they say has offered his government’s full support. A petition on the website of the grassroots campaign group, Avaaz, in favour of the nomination has amassed 280,000 signatures. According to the petition: “On remote Greek islands, grandmothers have sung terrified little babies to sleep, while teachers, pensioners and students have spent months offering food, shelter, clothing and comfort to refugees who have risked their lives to flee war and terror.”

While the official nomination letter is yet to be finalised, it is understood the academics, whose identities will be revealed in the coming days, will implore the Nobel committee members to accept their nomination.

They will say that it must be noted that a people of a country already dealing with its own economic crisis responded to the unfolding tragedy of the refugee crisis with “empathy and self-sacrifice”, opening their homes to the dispossessed, risking their lives to save others and taking care of the sick and injured.

In December, the image of Antonis Deligiorgis, a 34-year-old Greek army sergeant, rescuing an Eritrean refugee from the turbulent waters off Rhodes, was singled out as a striking illustration of the valour of those in the islands.

Only individuals or organisations are eligible to win the prize so it is likely that the “solidarity networks” on the islands – groups of volunteers who organised to help the refugees – or individuals within groups will be the official nominees. A precedent was set in 1976 when Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan won the prize for their efforts in seeking peace in Northern Ireland. It was seen as a reward for all those who sought reconciliation during the most troubled years.

The volunteer networks on the Greek islands have provided accommodation, hygiene packs, food, dry clothes and help with the next steps for refugees. However, it is claimed that the instincts of the majority of islanders set the tone across Europe towards the refugees’ plight.

Spyro Limneos, an activist in Greece for Avaaz who distributed aid on the islands, said: “The people involved in the solidarity networks organised and helped the desperate when the governments weren’t even willing to recognise that the there was a crisis.

“By opening their hearts the islanders sent a powerful message that humanity is above races, above nations.

“I will never forget seeing young girls being rescued from a boat on Leros. They were smiling. They didn’t have suitcases or any possessions except their end-of-year school certificates written in Arabic. They laid those down in the sun to dry out. It was a combination of tragedy and hope.”

One of the organisers of the Solidarity Networks, Matina Katsiveli, 61, a retired judge who lives on Leros, welcomed the move but said there was “reward enough in the smiles of the people we help”.

(www.theguardian.com)

January 27, 2016
Greece among the 10 healthiest countries in the world

You may strive to be healthy by eating well and exercising regularly, but what makes a person live to be 90? How can you increase your life expectancy and live a healthy, happy life? These are all things you can learn from the top 10 rated healthiest countries in the world, according to Samir Becic and his Health Fitness Revolution team. Becic and his team started by researching global data on life expectancy and health outcomes to narrow the list down to the top 10 performing countries including their projected life expectancy as of 2013.

Read more here.

January 19, 2016
Minister of Endowment lauds Greek parliament’s recognition of Palestine

Egyptian Minister of Religious Endowments Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa lauded Wednesday the Greek parliament’s recognition of the state of Palestine, describing it as a “positive move”.

Gomaa called on nations to recognise Palestine and its right to establish an independent state based on the 1967 borders, according to a statement released by the ministry.

Al-Azhar also welcomed the Greek parliament’s recognition of the state of Palestine, urging more countries to follow in suit. Praising its successful diplomacy, Al-Azhar lauded the Palestinian efforts to achieve their full rights and territories.

The Greek parliament approved its recognition of the state of Palestine Tuesday and urged the Greek government to “take suitable measure to recognise Palestine and encourage diplomatic efforts to continue peace talks in the region”.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attended the special session at the Greek parliament with different Greek parties and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. Greek parliament speaker Nikos Voutsis said recognising Palestine will help achieve stability in the region.

Tsipras lauded the decision, describing it as “special” because the parliament voted unanimously on it.

Palestine’s Fatah movement welcomed the recognition and said the relations between Palestine and Greece have “developed” over years. Fatah agreed that other countries should follow Greece in this move.

(www.dailynewsegypt.com)

January 14, 2016
Here’s why the Greek Islands deserve this year’s Nobel Peace Prize

The accelerated war in and around Syria has displaced millions up million families, who take the treacherous journey across the high seas towards Europe, through Greece. The refugee crisis is at its worst than it has ever been in history. According to the UNHCR, the global refugee population was at an all-time high of 59.5 million at the end of 2014.

“Every morning he puts on his wet suit, gets in his van, takes out his binoculars and looks out for boats. Every arrival that comes, he waits for the boat to get closer to land, he walks bravely into the ocean, and pulls the boats to shore,” Layma Murtaza shares the story of Thanassis, a Greek volunteer from Athen who is helping rescue the many refugees that arrive daily on the shores of Greece.

Murtaza is an Afghan-American researcher who is among the volunteers on the Green island of Lesvos (Lesbos) – who provide support to refugees.

“We’ve seen Thanassis do this twice,” she says. He wakes up every morning at 4:30am to meet the boats carrying the refugees. “We saw him last night at Pikpa and thanked him for his efforts. He told us, “I never get tired of doing it. I never get tired. I’m a human being and they are too.”

Pikpa is among the many local organisations in Greece working with refugees. They have an open, self-organised refugee camp in Mytilene, Lesvos, that helps provide resources, food and shelter to the refugees. It is largely run by volunteers from local Greek Islands. “There are many Greek locals that helping through volunteering at the camps, greeting boats arriving on shore, and providing housing to volunteers in addition to various other ways,” Murtaza says.

Community effort

In a fitting lesson to larger nations, who are shutting their doors to the asylum seekers, the Greeks are welcoming them with open arms.

“Taxi drivers are kind and understand the situation and have lots of love and care for the refugees. Even shop owners in Militini have created make shift signs in handwriting in the languages of Arabic and Farsi to guide the refugees.I think it’s a great relief for someone to know that they are welcome in the shop with that sign,” Murtaza adds.

From 31 December 2015 to 4 January 2016, the Greek Coast Guards rescued 596 refugees in 13 incidents that occurred in the sea regions of Lesvos, Chios, Agathonissi, Kos and Megisti, reports Greek Reporter, a local news website.

This despite the debt crisis this little European nation faced in mid-2015, that forced banks to shut shops and government had to impose capital controls. Greece’s financial problems are far from over. Unemployment remains rampant and fear of bankruptcy looms over their economy.

But, their own troubles have done little to deter their spirit of community and goodwill as they pour out in hundreds to offer assistance to the incoming refugees. “From what I understand through speaking to various locals, the reason the Greek islanders have sympathy is because many of their parents and grandparents were refugees and asylum seekers from past wars in history. It hits close to home and they try to help in any way that they can,” reasons Murtaza.

Efforts hailed internationally

The humanitarian work has not gone unnoticed, though. At least three online petitions have made an appeal to award the next Nobel Peace Prize to the citizens of the Greek Islands. One of these, specifically mentions Lesvos, saying, “It is always those who have little that give, those who have no means that help, those who look horror in the eye that hope. It is the people of Lesbos (sic) who have provided consistent care and tenderness in welcoming the refugees.”

This informal nomination to one of the most prestigious awards has been backed by over 150,000 people in the two months that they’ve been online.

Whether the Norwegian Nobel committee obliges to this growing public remains to be seen. In the meanwhile though, the people of Greece certainly have won the hearts of the many refugees escaping was and turmoil.

As Murtaza puts it, “It’s quite beautiful that despite the Greek economic crisis, people give and continue to give. I have learned that humanity lives on Lesvos.”

(www.catchnews.com, by Ruchi Kumar)

January 11, 2016
From Greece to Egypt on a Sailboat

By Tanya El Kashef

In July 2015, I took part in a sailing voyage from Athens to Hurghada with the purpose of delivering four sailboats to Egypt. A daring journey for a group made up of mostly novices, it took nineteen days of sailing through six Greek islands, the wrath of Meltemi winds, long late night sails and the Suez Canal; in the end, we slowly but surely made our way home to the Red Sea.

The idea was to spend my summer vacation doing something that would add value and experience, so when the opportunity to deliver four sailboats from Greece with Red Sea Sails came my way, I didn’t hesitate to take it on.

A budding project, Red Sea Sails intends to establish a sailing school, to provide sailboat charters and ultimately spark a sailing culture in a sea it believes is an ideal setting. While sailing is very new to the Red Sea – which currently have about ten sailboats in El Gouna and Hurghada combined – it is not an entirely new sport to Egypt and has had its popularity in places like Cairo, Alexandria and Ismailia. And although the days of elegant yacht clubs and their community of sailors are long gone, it is not uncommon to hear friends say that they have dabbled in the sport or that they used to go sailing with their grandfathers.

The feedback I received prior to the trip was a mix of nostalgic memories, intrigue and enthusiasm, and these sorts of reactions affirmed that an interest in sailing did exist and could possibly be fostered. However, it takes more than mere interest to become a well-rounded sailor – a fact I was soon to discover.

Read the rest of the article here

December 19, 2015
“Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin”

The Resolution on “Return or restitution of cultural property to the countries of origin” was unanimously adopted yesterday by the Plenary of the UN General Assembly, following a Greek initiative. The Resolution is submitted by our country every three years, and the final text was formulated through systematic consultation under the mediation of Greece, pursuant to relevant instructions from Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.

The Resolution enjoyed wide acceptance, as it was co-sponsored by a total of 74 states, including many member states of the European Union, a significant number of Latin American states, as well as a number of Arab and African states.

This initiative bolsters the return of cultural property to countries of origin, as well as the effort to protect cultural heritage. These two dimensions of the Resolution are seen as particularly timely, given that the Middle East daily suffers destruction of works and monuments of world cultural heritage, while the link between trafficking in cultural property and funding of terrorism is well known.

Special mention is made in the Resolution to the “Ancient Olympia Recommendation,” which calls on member states to mobilize for the return of stolen cultural treasures, with express reference to the return of the Parthenon Marbles. Another, equally important, dimension of the Resolution is the condemnation of the destruction of monuments of world cultural heritage in areas of armed conflict, including in occupied territories, and of illegal trafficking of cultural property by armed terrorist groups, such as ISIS.

As a cradle of knowledge and culture, Greece will always be in the vanguard for protection of world cultural heritage and will continue to promote similar initiatives.

December 19, 2015