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Yiannis Boutaris: “Tolerance and Cooperation Among All Religions in Greece”

Interview to Justine Frangouli-Argyris

Yiannis Boutaris is the Mayor of Thessaloniki, the Mayor with the youthful look who sports an earring. He is the politician who dares go against the traditional grain and who continues to leave a positive footprint on his metropolis.

A successful businessman, he has given new impetus to the city of Thessaloniki, especially by turning around its finances, albeit the deep economic crisis facing Greece. Now, he is being honored, in New York, with the “Damaskinos Award,” which he is accepting, on behalf of the City of Thessaloniki, for its protection of the Jews during the Second World War.

Could you tell us a few words about the award you are going to receive in NY?

The “Damaskinos Award” which I’m going to accept from his Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America during a great ceremony at the Hebrew Union College, is a great honor for me, for the Municipality and the city of Thessaloniki. It’s an award that goes to individuals who have promoted and defended tolerance and cooperation among all religions in Greece. I can only express my gratitude to the American Friends of the Jewish Museum in Greece for giving this great award to me and, hence, to Thessaloniki. This is indeed a great symbolic reward for our efforts, as a local authority, to open up the city, to establish tolerance and inclusiveness; and of course a reward for our efforts to highlight the Jewish heritage of Thessaloniki, that used to have the largest and most vivid Jewish community of Greece and Europe, and which was lost almost in its entirety in the Holocaust – a history so recent but also so muted until a few years ago when we started breaking this strange silence.

This trip to the US, though, is full of commemorations for the city of Thessaloniki. Beside NY, in Washington DC I will participate in the AJC Global Forum and I will sign symbolically the Declaration of the Mayors United Against Anti-Semitism before an audience of 2.500 people, representing the European efforts to combat anti-Semitism. I am obliged to the AJC for choosing me among hundreds of European Mayors in order to support this Campaign and combat the scourge of anti-Semitism. I hope I can deliver as much to this cause as expected.

Given the harsh economic reality, how is it that you were able to turn around the city of Thessaloniki’s finances in such a short period of time?

When we took office in 2011, the Municipality of Thessaloniki was shaken by a great economic scandal -inherited by the previous administration- of around 50 million Euros missing from the municipal treasury; this was followed by long judicial procedures implicating the previous Mayor. As a result, my predecessor and his closest colleague are still in jail. Bit, it was also the beginning of the severe economic crisis and the municipalities in Greece had undergone cuts of 40% that year and within three years this percentage skyrocketed to 60%-70% cut-down of state funding.
So, we put forward our basic principle of sound and transparent economics, cutting down on unnecessary spending by 30%, fictitious overtime payments by one third, and diversifying the Municipalities income sources, by applying for externally funded projects, either European or other, of around 70 million Euros in three years. We managed, thus, to cut down on municipal taxes by around 20% in three years, to pay back almost fully money we owed to the local market and to achieve surpluses in our budget from the first year of our tenure.

You have been called a “vision of hope” for Greece and are constantly shortlisted for “World Mayor of the Year.” What makes Yianni Boutari so successful?

Well, not “constantly” shortlisted for “World Mayor of the Year”; I was nominated as Mayor of the month back in October 2012. I was also shortlisted for Mayor of the Year 2014 and I got voted 8th in the world, but thank you, anyway! It’s a bit awkward to talk about “what makes me so successful”. I guess it has to do with the fact that I’m not a typical politician; I come from the business world and the civil society, and I always try to solve problems in a practical way. It might also have to do with the effort I took up since 2011 to make Thessaloniki known as a touristic destination based on its multi-cultural history of 2.300 years, along with its Ottoman and Jewish past, talking in fact about openness, extroversion, inclusion and tolerance. But, mind this; all these distinctions are Thessaloniki’s distinction.

You have referred to the migrant crisis as a European problem, not a Greek one. Is there a solution?

The migrant crisis is a serious problem indeed for the whole of Europe. Europe has to find its new balance, its new narrative on how to receive and integrate those new citizens, who are obviously going to stay for long in Europe. Unfortunately, Europe is not strong enough nowadays; it has problems in identifying a new economic model that will secure sustainable development for all its members; it has problems in securing an integrated political approach, it has never even touched upon the issue of strengthening democratic processes in the Union; and right now the far-right is rising in many European countries. So, things are not easy for Europe, because immigrants and refugees will keep coming, since the war in Syria does not seem to be ending soon – which is another issue that the EU has not touched upon.

In my opinion, the only solution to the problem is for Europe to start now, be it late but not too late, to built a mechanism of receiving and integrating these people. Otherwise, we will all end up with new kind of ghettos or favelas, full of marginalised and impoverished people who will soon start hating their new homes; this is a good recipe for fuelling fanaticism of any kind, this time within our own borders, within our own societies. We have to deal with it on a European level and we have to do it fast.

What is the current situation in Idomeni?

The last week of May, Idomeni was evacuated by police forces during an organised operation that lasted a few days. People left the spot for other organised refugee camps in the rest of Greece without trouble. Most of the Idomeni refugees were led to Northern Greece and at the wider area of Thessaloniki. I have the feeling they will stay long. The Greek state must take action to accommodate and integrate them properly in local societies and in the economy.

We try to play our part in all this; we just concluded an agreement with the UNHCR along with other municipalities and partners from the civil society in the Thessaloniki wider area to run a program funded by the European Commission for accommodating temporarily asylum seekers and relocation seekers in rent apartments and foster families. And we already run another program funded by the Open Society Foundation for accommodating in hotel rooms the most vulnerable ones of the refugees.

Europe has to play its own part; it has to put forward the relocation system agreed upon some time ago, which doesn’t seem to be really working right now; we should at least to a certain degree respect the will of the refugees themselves, the majority of which desperately look for a better future in Northern Europe.

Despite all the hardships facing your country, tourism has remained surprisingly resilient, breaking record upon record. How do you see this year’s numbers stacking up?

Well, it seems indeed that tourism in Greece was not hit by the refugee crisis, despite the xenophobic voices that kept scaremongering in the outbreak of this crisis. On the contrary, tourism professionals estimated that 2016 would be a record year for tourism in Greece. I guess we’ll see how things go. But I must say that tourism has to do with politics nowadays. Terrorist attacks, political instability and geopolitics have impact on tourist flows. Greece is a safe country; politics are just fine this period, everyday life is quiet and normal, despite the hardship that many families go through because of the economic crisis. Visitors have nothing to fear and they have a lot to enjoy in Greece; they should come and see. And of course we are expecting them to visit our city, Thessaloniki.

What does Thessaloniki have to offer the visitor?

Thessaloniki is a modern Greek city, a very easy-going city.

Apart from its 2.300 years of uninterrupted presence, that have left their signs in the cityscape but also in everyday life – one can see the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman monuments and sights, among them 15 UNESCO International Heritage monuments, and can find the traces of the Jewish heritage of the city – composing its multi-cultural and cosmopolitan history, Thessaloniki is also a youthful and creative city, thanks to its four state universities and many private colleges where more than 120.000 young people study. It’s a cultural hub, too, with many international events, such as the International Film and Documentary Festivals and the Biennale of Modern Art, but also featuring many local cultural and creative groups composing a lively, dynamic and extrovert community, very fond of synergies.

Along with culture, innovation and entrepreneurship try to spring up, since many young people go after social, cultural, innovative and start-up entrepreneurship, I guess as an outcome of the economic crisis that has changed the white collar-public servant mentality of the past.

Of course, visitors should not miss the gastronomic treasures of Thessaloniki, a gastronomic destination filled with restaurants, taverns, bars and cafes, where one can taste great local cuisine – an amalgam of Ottoman, Mediterranean, European and Balkan elements – highlighted lately also by the New York Times, that included our city in the 52 destinations one has to visit in 2016 thanks to its reach gastronomic culture.

Thessaloniki is a port city, and the waterfront – recently redeveloped and many times awarded in international architectural competitions – is a must-visit site from which one can admire mount Olympus and gaze its gods. Last, but of course not least, starting out from Thessaloniki one can visit many landmarks of Greece, like mount Olympus, the Holy Monastic Community of Athos, Halkidiki’s wonderful beaches, Vergina the land of Alexander the Great, and even travel daily to neighbouring Balkan countries.

Well, one needs to come and see. People enjoy their stay in Thessaloniki, because it’s friendly, welcoming and of course interesting. We invite Americans to visit Thessaloniki, I’m sure they will enjoy it.

How do you perceive the efforts of the Tsipras government?

The Tsipras Government is one of good intentions, poor preparation and no experience – but they learn fast and, hopefully, in the future they will become much better. Of course, Greece’s problem is a multifaceted one; in order to solve it, the Government has to – and it seems it already does – move towards more pragmatic solutions. The EU, on the other hand, has to remember its roots and honour its values; it has to become a Union again, not just a gathering of finance and economics ministers taking decisions about financial and economic issues. Finally, international politics have to sideline hawkish views like the ones the IMF seems to fancy.

What would you have done differently given the Prime Minister’s chair?

You know, there are very narrow margins within which the Greek prime minister can manoeuvre right now in Greece due to the fierce crisis. But I would certainly not try to hide things from people. I would be sincere and realistic.

But I have to say, I’m not interested in central politics; I am a local politics guy, working for local authorities. My ambition is to make them more independent, strong and able to serve as proper local governments. I believe this is what I have to offer, be a good mayor.

The Hellenic wine industry has made tremendous progress with many wineries, including Kir-Yianni, regularly producing world class products. What has enabled this segment of the economy to become so prolific?

The progress of the wine industry during recent years is truly impressive. Is it yet another Greek paradox, following the French paradox? There is an explanation on how an industry in today’s Greece manages to increase its exports and win over the new and old foreign markets in a fast growing pace.

A few years back, our common efforts led us to the idea of creating a National Strategic Marketing Plan for Greek Wine (launched as New Wines of Greece), in Greece and abroad. It is a large and ambitious project which was realised through collaboration, common perception, and a large amount of money that we agreed to spend together for this goal. Today, 6-7 years later, we’re still working all together true to our principles and goals, and even though the social, economic, and business environment is entirely different to when we first started, we are happy to witness positive results in the foreign markets. We are especially happy for this, as Greek wine finds its rightful place in the global markets, thanks to its typicity, its unique qualitative and organoleptic characteristics and the potentiality of the indigenous grape varieties.

What do you hope to accomplish before the end of your current term?

Many things are going on, and many things have to be pushed forward. One of the important projects we are going after during this term is the effort to attract funds from external sources in order to push through our strategic plan for a viable, sustainable, innovative and resilient city that can stand up to the demands of cities’ international competition and, mostly, that can lead the local community safely out of the economic crisis.

Of course it’s of the highest priority to boost and complete the initial effort to open up the city and put it on the global map as a tourist destination. This is where the Holocaust Museum and Educational Centre comes in; it is a big and important project. We strongly believe that this Museum and Educational Centre will recall the tragic fate and perpetuate the memory of the Thessaloniki Jews deported to concentration camps during WWII, but also that it will serve as a platform against racism, xenophobia and all forms of totalitarianism. In a few words, our goal is to continue our efforts to restore the city’s prominent role in SE Europe. The only way to achieve that is to transform Thessaloniki to the big port of the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean. That’s how it used to be, that’s how it used to thrive for the longest part of its history.

What does the future hold for Yianni Boutari?

I strongly believe that Mayors should not have more than two terms, because power wears down its carriers but also corrupts them. In any case, there is still a lot of time until 2019 when this term ends. But for me life is sweet; you know, I’m in love with life, and I will never get bored or tired of living it. I still want to enjoy it at its best.

(www.huffingtonpost.com)

June 9, 2016
CRPME Report on Religious Pluralism in the Middle East | No.1
Executive Summary

The report is addressing main features and challenges of religious pluralism in the Middle East in the last six months. The region covered is mostly the Middle East including the Arabian Peninsula. Sometimes it may also include countries of the Maghreb, when there are developments of particular interest. The report is focusing on the great challenges religious pluralism faces in the region but, at the same time, it is highlighting positive state and community initiatives that promote religious co-existence and pluralism. The documentation work leading to the report reflects the research already posted in the Centre’s website, which is being constantly updated with the developments regarding the religious communities in the region. It is, thus, neither exhaustive nor discursive in covering all the relevant events but it focuses on the events that could reveal certain issues, trends, continuities and discontinuities.

There are three kind of challenges confronting religious communities in the region:
1. In the ongoing Syrian civil war and the Iraqi political chaos, developments on the ground and the framing of the discourse, suggest an increasing militarization of sectarian identity, beyond the key contenders in the conflict.
2. Changes in the constitutional and legal framework in various countries connected with the uprisings and or/with political and socio-economic changes and transitions in the referred countries.
3. Issues arisen from the connection of the position of various religious communities with the political situation in their states, such as in Lebanon and Israel/Palestine.
The sectarianisation of the larger and more powerful communities, representing both local actors and regional ‘interested parties’, has been an enduring trend in the Syria-Iraq conflict theatre for several years. Conflict’s duration and intensity has engraved distrust and existential rivalry deeper in each involved party’s view of an acceptable compromise. This ‘settled’ distrust renders future reconciliation a daunting prospect. Likewise, distrust and hatred fuel and ‘enforce’ population homogeneity, altering violently the human geography of the region. Pockets of mixed or ‘other’ sect population, either consisting of indigenous or displaced population, straddled or taking refuge in ‘enemy’ territory occupied by jihadists, are under constant threat. Although often overlooked, large communities in minority settings (such as Sunni pockets in Kurdish or Shia-held territory) have endured a great share of sectarianisation backlash, as well. In effect, displacement and sectarian state-building are ‘clearing’ areas of former pluralist coexistence, changing the ethno-religious composition of the region in the process.

Sectarianisation and the drive for population homogeneity, have been exceptionally devastating for numerous communities of lesser political power and self-defence capacity. After millennia of presence in the region, religious communities, as old as Mesopotamia itself, are being pushed outside their centuries-long ancestral lands. These communities face the difficult choice between a probably one-way flight to distant places and a fake dilemma between seeking protection under dominant communities, or otherwise risk annihilation.

In this context, a new alarming trend of militarization is developing, affecting religious pluralism both in Syria and Iraq, as well as the wider region. Even religious communities, that have traditionally placed themselves on the side-lines of major contentions in the region, increasingly acquire a military posture.

Changes in the legal framework have been implemented or pledged concerning the protection of religious pluralism in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, UAE and Turkey. There are, however, difficulties and delays in implementing them. The issue of proselytising remains problematic in all Middle Eastern countries. Christian, and particularly Evangelical Churches’ missions, are considered to have not only religious, but also political objectives. In countries like Iran, UAE and Egypt, the state maintains working/amicable relations with established Middle Eastern Churches, such as the Armenian or the Greek Orthodox Church, but there is considerable suspicion over the Evangelical missionary activity. There are still, however, communities that, although part of the region and of the indigenous societies, remain subject to discrimination; such as, the Bahai’s and the Sunni Muslims in Iran, the Alevis and the Christians in Turkey. It seems that, despite initiatives to change the legal framework regarding religious freedom in countries, such as Turkey, Egypt and Iran, the relations of religious minorities with the state is more a matter of perpetual negotiation, bargaining and co-opting policies rather than the outcome of an institutionalised framework.

In Saudi Arabia, the Riyadh-based King Abdul Aziz Centre for National Dialogue (KACND) looks to bring Sunni and Shiites together, in order to promote mutual understanding, through contact and to counter hate speech. There are, however, steps to be taken towards more freedom and worship for non-Sunni Muslims and more rights for the Shiite minority in the country. Although GCC countries were not part (with the exemption of Bahrain) of the Arab revolts they are at the verge of considerable changes in their economy and society. Saudi Arabia is pledging to rapidly decrease her dependency on oil and this would inevitably lead to changes within her society, regarding gender issues and the religious freedom of millions of foreign workers and investors. The socio-economic partial or full integration of millions of foreign workers and investors that are becoming the vast majority of the population in many Gulf Monarchies is closely connected with religious tolerance and pluralism.

In Iran the lifting of sanctions and the electoral victory of the reformists and moderates in the recent elections will strengthen civil liberties for religious minorities. There are today clear signs of a gradual progress in this domain, regarding poor religious freedom conditions for religious minorities, especially for Baha’is, Christian converts, and Sunni Muslims. But the domestic battle for power in Iran is far from being over. Socio-economic developments, the ascent of a powerful middle class, the opening of the economy and the role of foreign investment would certainly affect religious pluralism in this country.

Interestingly in the case of Morocco’s religious pluralism pursued by the state seems to be directed to include not only the non-Sunnis and non-Muslim religious communities, but also the Salafi community, as they are a potential threat of extremism. In this sense, it may be argued that Morocco is approaching the notion of religious pluralism in a different way. While the notion of religious pluralism is assumed to imply opening the space of the public sphere for other non-dominate religious communities to participate, Morocco is opening space to neutralize extremist elements within its dominate Sunni community before it opens the space for the former.

Regarding Israel/Palestine and Lebanon issues of religious pluralism and genuine socio-political and socio-economic equality for religious minorities remain hostages of the political stalemate. In Israel the significant shift in the political scene towards the Right and the continuation of the occupation reinforces the belief of a significant part of the political establishment and of the Jewish people in Israel in a messianic mission to reconquer Eretz Israel, which leads in practice to the attempted segregation of Muslims in Israeli society. This means that other faiths, such as Christianity, are not particularly targeted by state policies, though still are regarded as enemies of the faith, by radical religious groups and certain segments of the political establishment.

The case of the Christians in Palestine is somewhat different than in other Muslim countries. While elsewhere, Christians are persecuted for their faith, in Palestine their plight does not derive so much from religious reasons, but from the same source all Palestinians, Muslims and Christians, suffer, i.e. the occupation of the Palestinian Territories by Israel. While the national struggle gives all Palestinians a sense of unity, the occupation leads to a vicious circle that can ultimately affect the Christians in the country as a community. The deterioration of living conditions leads to the radicalisation of the youth especially, giving fertile ground to extreme Islamist groups to grow. As there is no hope for the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians to recommence any time soon, it is very likely that conditions will continue to deteriorate, and the trend of escapism among Christians will continue to grow.

Lebanon is facing multiple challenges, from the absence of President since 2014, the ongoing war in Syria that has brought fear of a spill over, the large influx of Syrian refugees – which are predominantly Sunni—, affecting the demographic balance of Lebanon between the Muslim and Christian communities, to the alliances of each party with external forces. This renders the Lebanese society and its religious pluralistic statue vulnerable.

What has brought to question the durability of Lebanon’s legacy of religious pluralism and coexistence is the country’s dependency on foreign powers. The sectarian politics of foreign powers seem to inject sectarian tension in the Lebanese political arena, and probably to the society itself. Christians have been very wary of their position in the confessional system given that since 2014 the Presidential position is vacant. These concerns may be seen under a sectarian lens, especially due to fear of the all-decreasing numbers of Christians and of the extremist threats in and next to Lebanon.

Such concerns have more of a political undertone rather than a religious one, but in a confessional system it may be argued that political maneuvers are swiftly interpreted as religious and sectarian tension. The tendency of sectarian codification does not occur only in the political arena but also in the social arena of Lebanon. Various social issues are portrayed with a sectarian undertone and with religious underpinnings that may mispresent the Lebanese mosaic of religions, as having many cracks.

The report proposes three set of recommendations:

The immediate set:
1. Working towards the necessary all-inclusive regional consensus for establishing humanitarian corridors in both Syria and Iraq in order to shield and shelter endangered non-Muslim minorities.
2. Christian communities should be encouraged to participate in on-going discussions on the future of Syria.
3. The peace process in Syria should be inclusive and should preserve pluralism and the unity of the country.
4. All necessary steps should be taken in order to ensure that the perpetrators of religious massacres would face International Justice and also that all those who have assisted them in any form would be also held accountable for their deeds.
The set of recommendations concerning freedoms and rights of the religious communities:
1. Governments of the region should be assisted in upholding the rights of religious communities
2. Democracy is not enough; respect for human and religious rights should be enshrined either in the constitution or in a bill of rights. Equality before the law is essential and no church law should be beyond appeal to civil courts.
3. OSCE experience in programs on monitoring and promoting religious tolerance and rights of religious minorities could be utilised through formats such as the OSCE’s Mediterranean Partnership.
The set of recommendations concerning long-standing issues:
1. Programs addressing extreme poverty and reducing women’s vulnerability should be encouraged
2. Educational reforms that support interreligious understanding and mutual respect.
3. Programs addressing the positive role of the media in promoting a culture of tolerance and mutual respect.
4. Interreligious dialogue should be encouraged: all religious groups should cooperate in solving the problems of some of them.
(www.crpme.gr)
June 8, 2016
Yousriya Loza-Sawiris Scholarship 2017 – 2018
The Yousriya Loza-Sawiris Scholarship is a fully-funded program for students seeking to earn a Master’s Degree in Development Practice (MDP) from the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, USA.

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
- Completion of a 50-credit academic master’s program in 2 academic years
- Completion of a 8-10 week mid-program summer field experience
- Employment in the development sector in Egypt following graduation for no less than 2 consecutive years
HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates must submit two separate applications to the Sawiris Foundation and to the Humphrey School by their respective deadlines:
1. Scholarship application to be submitted to Newton Education Services,on behalf of SFSD. For information about how to apply for the scholarship program, please click HERE
Deadline for submitting your complete scholarship package to Newton Education Services: October 22nd, 2016.

2. Academic application to be submitted to the Humphrey School. For information about the Humphrey application package please click HERE
Deadline for submitting your completed application package to the Humphrey School: December 15th, 2016.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
- Egyptian national
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a well-reputed academic institution in a related field of study
- Satisfy the entry requirements into the academic MDP program
- Demonstrate excellent professional and academic track record
- Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills (extracurricular activities/community work/entrepreneurial initiative)
- Demonstrate inability to finance studies from own resources
- While no specific experience or academic track is required, students with a strong liberal arts education background and sound quantitative and analytical skills will be best prepared for academic success at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs
- Previous coursework in mathematics, statistics, and economics is recommended
- English language proficiency is required. Valid TOEFL or IELTS exam scores with a minimum of 600 (paper-based), 250 (computer-based), 100 (internet-based, minimum 22 on each section), or 7 for the IELTS
- MDP accepted Graduate Record Examination score (GRE). No specific score is required, however, Fall 2015 admitted students tested within average GRE Verbal Percentile: 68th and average GRE Quantitative Reasoning Percentile: 54th
June 8, 2016
The Bodossaki Foundation announces new Awards for Distinguished Young Scientists

The Bodossaki Foundation announces the award of monetary prizes for the year 2017 to distinguished scholars of Greek decent, under the age of 45 years old. For more information please check the following link.

www.bodossaki.gr

June 8, 2016
Athens and Epidaurus 2016 Festival Kicks Off with Verdi’s ‘Aida’

The Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2016 will begin this year on June 10, with a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Aida” at the Herod Atticus Odeon beneath the Acropolis, performed by the National Opera and directed by Enrico Castiglione, an Italian director and set designer noted for his “cinematic” approach and realism. The opera is in Italian, with Greek and English subtitles.

The next event is the Festival Open Party on June 14, with a concert featuring a number of Greek musicians and bands at the Piraeus 260 venue. A full list of the events is available on the festival website www.greekfestival.gr.

The organizers on Wednesday presented the festival’s official trailer, directed by Michalis Konstantantos with graphic animation by Giorgos Karagiorgos and music by Michalis Delta. The trailer can be viewed on YouTube at the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No65c_rh6Nw.

Tickets for the events are available either through the festival website or can be booked by phone (210 3272000) or bought from the Athens Festival box office at 39 Panepistimou Street.

(greece.greekreporter.com)

June 8, 2016
Socceroos beat Greece 1-0

YOU just know this Australian team will never give up, even if in the end they needed a Leckie break to claim a European scalp.

A 1-0 win for the Socceroos over Greece at ANZ Stadium last night came courtesy of the last kick of the game, Mathew Leckie’s turn and shot from the edge of the box earning Ange Postecoglou’s side the most last-gasp of victories.

If either side deserved to shade a fixture that was occasionally physical and rarely spectacular, it was Australia – though on a quagmire of a pitch, they scarcely came close to the heights of recent performances.

Until Leckie broke the deadlock Australia had threatened the Greek goal only sporadically, before a late burst of pressure saw Tim Cahill have a goal disallowed and Trent Sainsbury hit the post. With eight of the Australian starting XI at the end of their seasons, perhaps they could be forgiven for a contest that too often seemed to go through the motions.

With eight of the starting XI at the end of their seasons, perhaps they could be forgiven for a contest that too often seemed to go through the motions.

The game barely rose to a simmer, let alone a boil, until a late Tim Cahill header was disallowed and the frantic final moments saw plenty of chances for both teams.

(www.heraldsun.com.au)

June 6, 2016
German Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide

BERLIN — The German Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a symbolic but fraught resolution on Thursday declaring the killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 a genocide, escalating tensions with Turkey at a diplomatically delicate juncture.

The Turkish government angrily denounced the vote as “null and void,” and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called his ambassador in Germany back to Ankara for consultations.

“The way to close the dark pages of your own history is not by defaming the histories of other countries with irresponsible and baseless decisions,” Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, wrote on Twitter. In Ankara, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said, “There is no shameful incident in our past that would make us bow our heads.”

Germany needs Turkey’s help in following through on a deal with the European Union to manage the refugee crisis attributed in large part to the Syrian civil war. At the same time, the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has been under pressure not to be seen as caving to pressure from Ankara to compromise on Western values, particularly after a recent dust-up over freedom of speech set off by a German comedian’s satire that outraged Mr. Erdogan.

For Turkey, there is scarcely a more delicate topic than what historians say was the murder of more than a million Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915-16. In April, Mr. Erdogan visited the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey and, in a carefully worded statement, extended condolences to the families of those who had died, but the Turkish government has long rejected the term genocide.

Ankara has noted that thousands of people, many of them Turks, died in the civil war that destroyed the Ottoman Empire, and argued that the estimates of the number of Armenian deaths have been exaggerated.

The issue is also fraught for Germany. At the time of the killings, Germany, led by Kaiser Wilhelm II, was allied with the Ottomans, fighting alongside the Austro-Hungarian Empire against Britain, France and Russia in World War I. Acceptance of German responsibility for the atrocities of World War II has become an established part of the nation’s culture, and historians and activists have said that the Armenian resolution was an important step in acknowledging Germany’s indirect involvement in the 1915 killings.

Pope Francis called the killings a genocide last year, but the United States has long skirted the issue. President Obama stopped short of using the word — most recently in a statement marking Armenian Remembrance Day on April 24 — though he used the term before becoming president.

Ms. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union and its coalition partners supported the resolution, which was originally proposed for last year, to mark the centennial of the start of the killings. But it was repeatedly delayed, most recently in February, over concerns about angering Ankara.

As the vote approached, debate intensified in Germany, which is home to an estimated three million people of Turkish descent, many of whom have dual citizenship. About 2,000 Turks demonstrated last weekend in Berlin, rallying to say that Parliament is not a court and therefore should not pass judgment.

Ms. Merkel was in a tough spot. When she visited Istanbul last week, she spent time with Turkish intellectuals and lawyers critical of Mr. Erdogan before meeting the president, who warned her not to move forward with the resolution.

Her decision to do so, despite those objections, may have been influenced by an episode in March, when a German comic, Jan Böhmermann, lampooned Mr. Erdogan with a crude poem. Ms. Merkel initially criticized the verses, giving the impression — which she later said was a mistake — that she advocated restrictions on freedom of expression in Germany. Critics portrayed her as weak.

Cem Ozdemir, the co-chairman of the opposition Greens and a driving force behind the resolution, accused Ms. Merkel of paying little heed to Turkey for most of her decade in power, until circumstances forced her to engage with Mr. Erdogan.

On Thursday, Mr. Ozdemir said there was “never a favorable time to speak about something as dreadful as genocide.”

Mr. Ozdemir read century-old statements by officials of the German Empire showing they knew that up to 90 percent of Armenians had been killed. “Working through the Shoah is the basis of democracy in Germany,” Mr. Ozdemir said, referring to the Holocaust. “This genocide is also waiting to be worked through.”

He noted that there were Turks who had saved Armenians. “Before them, we bow down with highest respect,” he said.

Mr. Ozdemir said he had received threats because of his support for the vote, but that it was even more dangerous for people in Turkey to acknowledge the genocide.

The vote in the Bundestag, the lower house of Parliament, was nearly unanimous, with one lawmaker voting against and another abstaining. (Ms. Merkel and the two most senior Social Democrat ministers — Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier — were not present.)

Norbert Lammert, the president of the Bundestag, kicked off the debate with a clear message. “Parliament is not a historians’ commission, and certainly not a court,” he said. He added that the current Turkish government “is not responsible for what happened 100 years ago, but it does have responsibility for what becomes of this” in present times.

Mr. Lammert, a Christian Democrat, labeled the Ottomans’ killing of Armenians as genocide last year. Particularly because of “our own chapters of dark history,” Germans know that only by working through past events can one achieve reconciliation and cooperation, Mr. Lammert said on Thursday.

Including Germany, 12 of the European Union’s 28 members have recognized the Armenian killings as genocide. Despite initial protests, Turkey has maintained good relations with several of those countries.

When France approved legislation in 2011 recognizing the genocide, Turkey temporarily recalled its ambassador and halted bilateral military cooperation. Such steps by Ankara would be more complicated today and potentially more damaging, as Germany and Turkey are engaged in a NATO operation to stop migrant boats crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece.

Aydan Ozoguz, the German commissioner for integration, who — like Mr. Ozdemir — is of Turkish descent, said before the vote that while she intended to vote for the resolution, “I still think it is the wrong path.” She added that she thought it would backfire.

Mr. Erdogan and ultranationalist Turks “will get a huge boost,” Ms. Ozoguz said. “They will use the resolution as proof of a further attack by the West on Turkey. Reasonable, considered voices will be isolated and will have no chance to be heard for a long time.”

(www.nytimes.com)

June 5, 2016
‘Greeks’ Exhibition to Open June 1 at National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C.

“The Greeks—Agamemnon to Alexander the Great”spans 5,000 years of Greek history and culture, presenting stories of individuals from Neolithic villages through the conquests of Alexander the Great. This unprecedented exhibition features more than 550 artifacts from the national collections of 22 museums throughout Greece, making it the largest exhibition of its kind to tour North America in 25 years. The Greeks makes its final of two U.S. stops, and its only East Coast appearance, at the National Geographic Museum, where it opens to the public on June 1.

“The Greeks is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of Greek history and culture to visit North America in a generation,” said Kathryn Keane, vice president of Exhibitions at the National Geographic Society. “From their Bronze Age beginnings to the height of classical civilization, the Greeks and the traditions they founded continue to have a profound impact on our lives today.”

The exhibition contains more than 500 magnificent artifacts, many of which have never been displayed outside of Greece. Curator favorites include iconic stone figurines from the Cycladic Islands; gold funerary masks and other treasures from Mycenae; classical marble statues from the Acropolis Museum of Greek poets, athletes and heroes; and brightly painted ceramic vases featuring scenes from Greek mythology and daily life.

Museum visitors will experience the exhibition through the eyes of the ancient Greeks. Some are well-known even today — Odysseus, Homer, Agamemnon, Leonidas, Socrates, Pericles, Philip II and Alexander — with their achievements recorded in epic poems, historical writings and mythological stories. But many of the people featured in the exhibition remain unnamed and known to us only through the archaeological record: a priestess of Mycenae, a warrior of the Iron Age, two noble women of the Archaic period and an athlete of the classical era. The objects buried with these individuals provide insights into their lives and the roles they played within their respective families and societies.

Woven throughout the exhibition are the inventions, innovations and institutions that provide the foundation for much of Western culture. Scholars today trace the origins of modern democracy; the Olympic movement; and Western philosophy, poetry and theater back to Greece. Even many of the monuments of Washington, D.C., owe their architectural style to the mathematicians, builders and sculptors of ancient Greece.

The Greeks was developed by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (Athens, Greece), The National Geographic Museum (Washington, D.C.), the Field Museum (Chicago), the Canadian Museum of History (Gatineau, Canada), and Pointe-à-Callière Montréal Archeology and History Complex (Montréal, Canada). More information about The Greeks at the National Geographic Museum can be found here: http://natgeo.org/thegreeks. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities.

In addition to this exhibition, National Geographic is producing a three-hour series “The Greeks,” which will air nationally on PBS, starting June 21, 2016 at 9 p.m. (check local listings). A rich complement of publications and public programming related to the exhibition will also be announced in early May. Special events will include an engaging Nat Geo Liveevent featuring Caroline Alexander, author of the recently published and critically acclaimed English translation of “The Iliad.”

The National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., is open every day (except Dec. 25) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for National Geographic members, military, students, seniors and groups of 25 or more; $10 for children ages 5-12; and free for local school, student and youth groups (18 and under; advance reservation required). Tickets may be purchased online at http://natgeo.org/thegreeks; via telephone at (202) 857-7700; or in person at the National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th Street, N.W., between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. For more information on group sales, call (202) 857-7281.

(press.nationalgeographic.com)

May 31, 2016
Getting ready for the biggest celebration of the Greek Shipping Sector

Posidonia is a firm fixture for the global shipping industry and one of the sector’s largest gathering every two years in Greece, providing direct access to Greek shipping and the Greek owned fleet, which continues to grow impressively, remaining at the top of global ranking. According to data from the previous Posidonia event (2014), of some 700 shipping companies based in the Athens area, about 70 companies run fleets of 1m dwt (deadweight tonnage) or above.

This year’s Posidonia, which will run from June 6 to 10 at the Metropolitan Expo centre next to Athens International Airport, is set to host 19 national stands with the biggest participant being China, followed by Japan and South Korea. Following 2014’s record numbers, this year’s event is expected to be the biggest ever and to contribute some 60 million euros to the Greek economy in revenues mainly from hosting thousands of people, construction of stands, customs and forwarding, corporate events and other activities.

Despite the many challenges faced by the Hellenic and the International Maritime Community, especially during 2015 and at the beginning of 2016, Greece has continued to strengthen its position as the largest ship owning country, landing the top spot in 2016, with a fleet size of 196m gt and with Greek owners having a global market share of 16% by gt (followed by Japan 13%- China-11% and Germany 7%).

At the end of 2014, orders stood at $29bn, and around 550 ships totaled 50m dwt. Deliveries from 94 entities averaged two ships per week, accounting for 11.5% of the world’s orderbook. That included some 39 LNG carriers.

Greek owners rank first in terms of both new tonnage and new-built fleet value, bringing vessel ages well below the international average. The Greek presence in the S&P markets also continued apace, accounting for nearly 40% of the global investment in secondhand ships, again placing Greek owners in the top position, while together with the new, investment in the Greek fleet amounts to 12 billion dollars. In the first months of 2016, the Greek owned maritime companies have invested 747,6 million dollars for the purchase of 56 vessels, and according to Allied Shipbroking data, Greeks have spent 1/5 of the total sum spent globally, leaving Saudi Arabian investors in the second place with investments of 411,5 million dollars. Behind that growth is a multi-billion dollar order book for shipbuilders, ships equipment suppliers, technology, services and management companies, shipbrokers, insurance and finance.

With this data in mind, it is fair to say that the excitement in the Hellenic Maritime Community is well justified for this year’s exhibition. However, Posidonia is more than an exhibition. Posidonia week also includes an extended conference, seminars and technical workshops programme. Chaired by industry leaders, there will be lively discussions and debates on issues, challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Posidonia 2016 will again host the Tradewinds Shipowners Forum. Also, a highly popular part of the Posidonia business social mix, the games appeal to the competitive nature of shipping professionals but in a spirit of friendly rivalry. The Posidonia Games programme includes the exciting Posidonia Cup yacht race, the hugely popular five-a-side Posidonia Shipsoccer Tournament, the Posidonia Golf Tournament and the new addition to the Posidonia programme, the Posidonia Running Event. The agenda will further include presentations of new products and technologies, discussions on current shipping issues, new environmental regulations and other significant matters.

(greeknewsagenda.gr)

May 31, 2016
Greece earns third place worldwide in Blue Flag certification

Greece has earned fourth place in Europe with regard to the quality of its bathing waters for this year, according to data published by the European Environment Agency on Tuesday. The report noted that 97.2 percent of areas inspected were deemed to be outstanding.

The organization also announced that the country was positioned third worldwide in terms of Blue Flag certification, with 430 beaches and 9 marinas for 2016.

The agency’s annual report evaluates the quality of the water from last year and highlights areas where this is expected to be maintained in the current year.

Over 1,500 bathing areas, including beaches, lakes and rivers, were inspected last year, out of which 1,499 were defined as top quality spots for swimming, the report said.

(www.ekathimerini.com)

May 31, 2016