NO. 8

WASHINGTON, DC — AHI held its second annual Vasilopita-cutting ceremony at the Athens Club, January 19, 2020.

“The ceremony was a great way to kick-off the New Year for AHI’s Athens chapter, and we are excited for another productive year in Greece,” AHI President Nick Larigakis said.

At the ceremony, President Larigakis provided an overview of AHI’s policy work and reviewed the recently completed Fourth International Leadership Mission on which he participated with American Jewish and American Hellenic community leaders.

AHI-Athens President George Economou addressed the audience and participated in the vasilopita-cutting ceremony.  In his remarks, Economou reflected on the year that was for Greece and opined about what Greece can do going forward to defend itself against actions that infringe on its sovereignty.

“We should increase our territorial waters at least to the level of our air borders so that the daily violations and engagements which cost us billions, become indisputably illegal,” Economou said. “Further, we should declare the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf, in order to protect the wealth of Greece.”

AHI-Athens Vice President Vice Admiral Vassilios Kyriazis provided greetings.

Dignitaries in attendance included: Deputy Chief of Mission David Burger, U.S. Embassy in Athens; Chief of the Hellenic Navy Vice-Admiral Stylianos Petrakis, Deputy Chief of the Hellenic Navy Rear-Admiral George Kampourakis, Secretary General for the Greeks Abroad Prof. John Chrisoulakis, former Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Change Yannis Maniatis, and former Minister of Employment & Social Protection and Former Minister of Tourism Fani Palli Petralia.