Message by H.E. Ambassador of Greece to the U.S.A. Mr. V. Kaskarelis on the occasion of the 39th Biennial Banquet of the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA)

Thank you for your kind invitation tonight and for the opportunity to address the members of the Greek American community’s oldest grassroots organization.

I consider my friend an old friend of AHEPA. While I have been Greek Ambassador to the U.S. for barely four months, I have spent more than four years in this incredible city of New York and I am familiar with the works and deeds of this wonderful institution.

AHEPA’s commitment to education, philanthropy and public service, its engagement in social issues, its support to Greece during difficult times, its commitment to the causes of Cyprus and Macedonia, are well documented and duly noted. I would also like to congratulate the new Supreme President, Mr. Nicholas Karacostas on his election.  His 25 year involvement with AHEPA and his service to the Greek and Greek-Cypriot communities are clear indication that he will carry out his mission with integrity and commitment.

AHEPA was founded almost 88 years ago. The world was different then.  Under harsh social and economic realities, it took great courage, vision and foresight for AHEPA’s founders to unify their efforts, to confront forces of bias and bigotry, to help each other in the great journey they chose, and to lay public claim to their language and cultural heritage.

These individuals, people of limited means and humble backgrounds, had the wisdom to recognize the power of the individual, but most importantly, to recognize the effectiveness of collective and unified action. The level of accomplishment prevalent in today’s Greek American community is testament to the efforts of these pioneering men and women, and it seems to me that they can best be honored by a community acting collectively and in unity to secure its future.

Americans of Greek origin, such as tonight’s award recipients, Mr. Dimitrios Kaloidis, Mr. Nikos Manos, Captain Demetrios Roumeliotis and Dr. William Tenet, make us optimistic about the future of the Greek American community.  We congratulate them and we thank them for their contribution to the community and to society at large.

Of course, the Greek American community has had good and sincere friends along the way.  And so has Greece. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who joins us tonight, and Senator Robert Menendez, who could not be here because he has a vote in the Senate, are two such friends.  We congratulate these two great public servants on receiving the Pericles Award, aptly named after the man of antiquity who practically set the standard for “public service,” so eloquently expressed in his Epitaphios Oration. We thank Senator Menendez and Congresswoman Maloney for understanding the rightness of our causes and for stating so publicly.

In closing, let me say that Greece greatly values the ‘OMOGENEIA’ and we appreciate its support. In my capacity as Greece’s Ambassador to the United States, I look forward to working with you towards strengthening the bonds of the Greek American community with Greece. Please feel free to share with me your concerns and your ideas towards realizing this goal.

I wish you a wonderful evening and the best of success in all your endeavors.