Supreme President George G. Horiates visited Athens, Aug. 26 and 27, to congratulate formally Greece’s new Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and to lay the groundwork for AHEPA’s return to Athens for its 2021 Supreme Convention–the bicentennial anniversary of Greece’s Independence.
“I conveyed the Order’s heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister Mitsotakis as he works to meet Greece’s challenges and to take relations between the United States and Greece to the next level,” Supreme President Horiates said. “As always, AHEPA stands ready to assist and contribute to the ever-strengthening bonds between Greece and its diaspora. In this spirit, AHEPA is eager to return to Athens for its Supreme Convention in 2021.”
In addition to Prime Minister Mitsotakis, Supreme President Horiates met with: President of Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos, U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, Minister of Tourism Harry Theoharis (an Ahepan), Minister of Defense Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, and Deputy Foreign Minister Antonis Diamataris.
“We sincerely appreciated the time afforded us by all the high-level officials with whom we met to discuss the programs and initiatives on our agenda, both in the short-term and long-term,” Horiates said, adding the meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Diamataris was especially lengthy. “We are grateful for their ongoing support as we strive to promote and advance Hellenic ideals, our mission, and community service.”
Supreme President Horiates also finalized an agreement with Evangelismos Hospital officials that provides AHEPA a “green light” to proceed with establishing a small burn unit in the hospital’s AHEPA Wing.
“We are excited to receive approval from the officials at Evangelismos Hospital to proceed with the establishment of a small burn unit to meet a very pressing public health need for the people of Athens and surrounding areas,” Horiates said. “This is a big step following our wildfire relief drive of the past year, and we look forward to seeing the project through to completion with the help of hospital officials and our Ahepans on the ground.”
Finally, AHEPA Hellas District 25 hosted a symposium at the Athens Marriott where Supreme President Horiates emphasized the importance of joining AHEPA and reiterated AHEPA’s commitment to its mission and Hellenic ideals. District 25 also hosted a dinner commemorating the Supreme President’s whirlwind visit.
Canadian President Christos Argiriou, Supreme Treasurer Savas Tsivicos, and Executive Director Basil Mossaidis accompanied the Supreme President.
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Founded in 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, on the principles that undergirded its fight for civil rights and against discrimination, bigotry, and hatred felt at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan, AHEPA is the largest and oldest grassroots association of American citizens of Greek heritage and Philhellenes with more than 400 chapters across the United States, Canada, and Europe.
AHEPA’s mission is to promote the ancient Greek ideals of Education, Philanthropy, Civic Responsibility, and Family and Individual Excellence through community service and volunteerism.
For more information, please visit www.ahepa.org.