Greek Reporter Europe

Call to stop transfer of asylum seekers to Greece

Anny Tzotzadini — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:00:26 +0000

EU States have to stop all transfers of asylum seekers back to Greece under the “Dublin II” regulation due to the extremely harsh conditions they face in the state, the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner has said.

Thomas Hammarberg made the statement yesterday in his first oral intervention as a third party in a case before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. He said asylum law and practice in Greece were not in compliance with international and European human rights. Mr Hammarberg’s comments and the test case at the Strasbourg court could have important implications for the Government, which has ordered the transfer of about 40 asylum seekers to Greece under the “Dublin II” rule.

The “Dublin II” regulation says asylum seekers should have their applications for protection heard in the first EU state they enter. It is a cornerstone of EU asylum law and strongly defended by the Government in talks in Brussels with EU partners on asylum policy.

NGOs such as Amnesty International have expressed grave concerns about the poor conditions for asylum seekers in Greece and have asked EU states to stop sending people back under the regulation.

The test case at the Strasbourg court involves an Afghan asylum seeker who entered the EU via Greece and travelled on to Belgium. He appealed a transfer order issued by Belgium on the grounds he risked “detention in appalling conditions in Greece” and feared he would be sent back to Afghanistan without a proper examination of his case. The Afghan man was transferred to Greece from Belgium in June 2009. He was immediately detained for several days in conditions he says “were overcrowded and insalubrious”. Following his release on June 18th, 2009, he lived on the streets, with no means of subsistence. Today he is still waiting for his first interview with the Greek asylum authorities.

(source: The Irish Times)

Singing for a reunited Cyprus

Kiki Danaktsis — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:38:55 +0000

The Greek singer Pantelis Thalassinos and the Turkish singer Umut Albayrak, along with Voula Konstantinou and the band Sol Anahtari, sang for the reunification of Cyprus and for a peaceful solution.

The event, organized by the Pancyprian Federation of Labour, the Turkish Union DEV-IS and the bicommunal Peace Initiative “Unified Cyprus”, took place the 1^st September, World Peace day.

In the event, there were slogans such as: “Cyprus belongs to its people”, “All together for the reunification”, “Turkish – Cypriots are not enemies, they are brothers” etc.

Letter of the International Congregation of Agia Sophia addressed to T. Erdogan, to conduct Divine Liturgy in Agia Sophia

Apostolos Papapostolou — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:50:00 +0000

“On the 16th of September 2009, on behalf of the International Congregation of Agia Sophia, I wrote to Prime Minister Erdogan and informed him that on the 17th of September 2010, the day the Orthodox Christian religion celebrates the holy feast day of Sophia, Faith, Hope and Love, a delegation of the International Congregation will visit Constantinople.
The aim of the visit of the delegation of the International Congregation in Constantinople is the celebration of Divine Liturgy in Agia Sophia.”
This statement was made yesterday by the President of the International Congregation of Agia Sophia, Chris Spyrou, during a Press Conference

Turkish, Greek Ministers Watched Together Basketball Game

Anny Tzotzadini — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:11:14 +0000

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday that it was friendship that won the match between Turkey and Greece in the Group C of the FIBA 2010 World Basketball Championship.

“We watched a very friendly match. Of course we are proud of the victory of our team but beyond this, it is friendship that won in the match. The flag opened by Greek sports fan writing, “we are not enemies we are neighbors” on it was very important,” Davutoglu told reporters together with Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas. “I hope the two teams will compete in the final,” Davutoglu said.

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Droutsas congratulated Turkish National Team over their victory.

Meanwhile, diplomatic sources said Davutoglu and Duracas discussed bilateral relations at the meeting which took place before the match. Davutoglu and Droutsas discussed the matters within the scope of the High Level Strategic Cooperation, which was signed during Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Athens in May, and the two parties also affirmed that exploratory talks carried out between Turkey and Greece progressed positively.

Greek artist in the 2nd Mediterranean Biennial in Cologne

Kiki Danaktsis — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:22:12 +0000

The 2^nd Mediterranean Biennial started in Cologne. It is a cultural event that aims to the intercultural communication between Cologne and its sister cities in the Mediterranean.

Two artist participated from Thessaloniki: Yorgos Tsakiris, Professor at the School of Fine Arts in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Katerina Velliou.

The presentation of their works took place last Saturday in the Statt-Museum gallery of modern art.

The theme of this Biennial was “Sisyphus” as a symbol of hopeless efforts, punishment and insistence.

The exhibition will continue until 15^th September.

Greek & Turkish Cypriot Leaders Resume Negotiations

Anny Tzotzadini — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:36:42 +0000

Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders will resume their negotiations aiming to find a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus controversy on Tuesday. President Dervis Eroglu of The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias would meet again at the buffer zone in Nicosia for the first time in three weeks. The last time Eroglu and Christofias met was on August 10th.
Leaders will continue debating property issues in their meeting. Leaders are expected to set the schedule of negotiations in September during their meeting. Eroglu and Christofias will also dine togethor at Christofias’ house on Monday evening.
On July 28th Eroglu hosted Christofias and his wife at a home dinner in Nicosia.

Sole Greek Orthodox Church Fire Survivor in Izmir is Restored

Apostolos Papapostolou — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:34:19 +0000

Only one Greek Orthodox church survived a fire in the Aegean province of İzmir in 1922. On Sunday officals announced that it has been restored.
The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality released a statement saying that the restoration of the historical Ayavukla Church, which was launched in 2008 was nearly completed.
“The church will be used as a social and cultural center after the renovation,” the statement said.
The Jesus Christ figure which had been painted over as well as frescoes depicting St. John and angels Michael and Gabriel have now been restored.
The Ayavukla Church is in the Basmane neighborhood and was constructed by the Greek Orthodox community in the second half of the 19th century.
The building served as a museum on orders from Ataturk in 1924. It was later used as an opera rehearsal hall.

Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Meets with The American Jewish Committee

Apostolos Papapostolou — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:10:15 +0000

Minister of Foreign Affairs Markos Kyprianou met last Friday with a delegation of The American Jewish Committee, headed by its Executive Director David Harris.
Speaking after the meeting, Minister Kyprianou said that the Committee plays an important role in the United States in various decision making centres. He said that they had a very interesting discussion. It gave him the opportunity to refer to the current phase of the talks on the Cyprus problem and where they stand today, to issues concerning Turkey, its role in the area and its accession course, and to the positions of Cyprus on this issue. “If Turkey does not comply with its obligations and does not start meeting its obligations, it will have consequences not only on the accession, but also on the accession course itself” he pointed out.
Kyprianou said that during the meeting Cyprus’ role in the region was discussed given the fact that the main policy of the government is to establish Cyprus as a key player in the region. Cyprus is a member of the EU and also close to the countries of the region and act as link between Europe he explained.
He added that after the crisis in the relations between Turkey and Israel, Cyprus is the only country that at this stage maintains good relations, contacts and an open and sincere dialogue with all the countries in the region. “We believe that this can be utilized by the international community and of course by the EU” he stated.
Minister Kyprianou expressed the belief that briefing organizations such as The American Jewish Committee helps gain their support in the United States on issues concerning Cyprus.
The Foreign Minister added that he also informed The American Jewish Committee about Cyprus’ good relations with the US Administration and the cooperation that exists between them.
Replying to a question concerning the occupation regime’s plans for Karpasia, Kyprianou said that The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been in contact with the representatives of The European Commission for quite some time now and that we have raised the issue silently and with discretion from the very first moment the information was publicised. He pointed out that at first, it seemed that the plans were postponed and that now they seem to be resurfacing. Minister Kyprianou said that he has sent a letter to the responsible Commissioner, who plays an important role to this effort. He underlined that the activities of the occupation regime on Greek Cypriot properties are illegal and that in this case it is even worse since these activities are being carried out in a protected area. “We will co-ordinate our efforts with the European Commission and we hope that this position of the occupation regime will be revised” he concluded.

The Holy Theological School of Halki Opens for First Exhibit Since 1971

Kiki Danaktsis — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:35:22 +0000

The art exhibition “Tracing Istanbul” is hosted at The Holy Theological School of Halki. It will open today by the Ecumenical Patriarch. The Minister of Culture Pavlos Geroulanos will be also present.

This is a historic moment since The Holy Theological School of Halki has remained closed since 1971. It opens for the first time today and will host 101 works of art of notable Greek artists for the next 20 days.

The 101 works will be attempts of narration through painting, sculpture, construction, photography, video and hagiography, states Anastasia Manou. Manou inspired and organized the exhibition.

Hundreds of visitors from Athens will be present in this exhibition. In the opening ceremony Greek and Turkish artists and collectors will be present.

“The works which have been created specifically for the exhibition, “trace” and highlight mythological, historical and every-day life moments, focusing on images, colors, smells, sounds, traces and symbols of Istanbul ” .

The exhibition will also be hosted later in Athens, at The Technopolis from October 4th- 31st.

Greece’s Harris Alexiou Sings in Opening Ceremony of The FIBA World Championship

Anny Tzotzadini — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 16:36:00 +0000

The FIBA World Championship is the most prominent sporting event Turkey has ever hosted in its history. Both FIBA President Bob Elphinston and Turkish Basketball Federation President Turgay Demirel stated this.
“This is a historic moment” Demirel said for his opening words at Friday’s ceremony. The ceremony was held in Istanbul’s Sinan Erdem Arena and attended by thousands. During the ceremony the audience had the chance to enjoy performances by Turkish singers and dance groups including the Fire of Anatolia dance troupe, which performed its renowned Troy performance. Greece’s Harris Alexiou also performed a duet with Turkey’s Sezen Aksu.

The 2010 FIBA World Championship will take place simultaneously in four Turkish cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Kayseri between Aug. 28th to Sept. 12th. Around 350,000 people are expected to attend the championship. The first round of the championship, which returns to Europe for the first time in 12 years, will feature basketball stars such as Boris Diaw, Carlos Arroyo and Anderson Varejao.