Spokesman for Cyprus Foreign Ministry, Demetris Demetriou, shared a tweet on Wednesday night announcing that Turkey had accepted Cyprus’ offer to send a rescue team for post-earthquake aid.
Turkey’s answer, which was made known via the European Civil Protection Mechanism, comes after an initial refusal.
“Thank you but we won’t take it,” was Turkey’s first response, according to the Director General of the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kornelios S. Korneliou.
Η Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία 🇨🇾ενημερώθηκε προ ολίγου από τον Ευρωπαικό Μηχανισμό Πολιτικής Προστασίας ότι η η προσφορά της Κύπρου για αποστολή ομάδας διάσωσης έγινε αποδεκτή από την Τουρκία. pic.twitter.com/TgRlijnwrE
In an interview with Sigma Mesimeri and Kati Show, Korneliou also described the situation of Cypriots who are in Turkey, and specifically mentioned a group of students that seemed to be trapped in their hotel.
“Two Turkish Cypriots are not answering. The crisis management department continues to try and trace the fate of other Cypriots who are in Turkey but we have no other indication,” Korneliou said.
“As far as the volleyball team is concerned, we don’t have any updates yet. The occupying regime exclusively handles the issue of people who have moved to Turkey. There are currently 35 missing persons. Four have been found alive.
“There is the issue of non-recognition and it seems that in matters of natural disasters and human tragedies, the political position often prevails.”
Cyprus, which felt the 7.8-magnitude quake, immediately expressed readiness to contribute, assisting the work of Greece’s rescue team. The Cyprus Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Monday, expressing its “deep sadness for the numerous victims of the earthquakes.”
According to ABC News, the death toll from the earthquake has climbed past 11,500, making it the deadliest seismic event in more than a decade.
Tens of thousands of people remain missing in the rubble of buildings which toppled during the earthquake. Four Australians also remain unaccounted for,Nine News has reported.
In response, Greece sent a second special disaster management team (EMAK) to the earthquake-stricken Turkish city of Hatay on Wednesday.
The Australian government has also moved to urgently provide humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria. Australia has announced an initial $10 million in aid, as well as a search and rescue team of up to 72 personnel to Turkey to assist local authorities.
Young woman rescued by Greek team after six hour effort:
On Wednesday, the Greek EMAK team already in Turkey rescued a young woman, Irin, from the ruins of a building in Hatay.
Greek rescuers in Turkey.
According to AMNA.gr, the team members originally thought the calls for help were coming from a young boy trapped under his dead mother. The boy was found dead, and the young woman was further in the rubble, trapped by a concrete block.
The rescue operation had to be briefly interrupted when two aftershocks occurred.
Irin’s rescue took over six hours, with the rescue members holding her hand to reassure her. She was picked up by an ambulance.
Alkistis Protopsalti – Just the name alone brings to mind a deep, recognisable singing voice and explosive stage presence.
Luckily for Greeks across New South Wales and Victoria, they will be able to witness Alkistis perform live this month as she arrives Down Under to appear at the Greek Fest Darling Harbour in Sydney and the Antipodes Festival in Melbourne.
Ahead of her arrival, The Greek Herald sat down with the singer to hear about how her upbringing influenced her professional career and she also sends a message to Australia’s Greek community.
What inspired you to become a singer?
Music was everywhere in our house. My mother Maria had a wonderful voice and she was singing all the time in the house. She had a better voice than me. My father Stavros was playing piano – whenever he had some free time – and my grandfather Giannis played the violin. There were magical moments that I remember until now. Later in school and especially in high school, I was in charge of all the parties. I had a guitar and I was singing always during school trips. But I also had a great love for sports.
I was running as an athlete in the 100 metres and 400 metres under the umbrella of Panionios, but at last I decided to follow my heart which was full of music. Through song I learned how to express my feelings and lure the audience into the magical world of music.
You were born in Egypt to Greek parents. How has this upbringing influenced your music?
I was born in Alexandria, Egypt and at the age of 6 we returned to Greece. The family and relatives were divided. Some of my uncles travelled to Australia and the rest of them went to America. Luckily my parents decided to return to Greece. I didn’t have time to feel the local music because I was very young.
What has been a highlight of your career so far?
I will tell you the four most important to me.
First of all, the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Greece in 2004. Singing at the closing ceremony was really an awesome moment which I will never forget in my life. Secondly, the concert at an open theatre by the Tagus river in Portugal. On stage with me was the director, Dimitris Papaioannou. It was an amazing experience. An extremely cold day with very strong winds. Unforgettable!
Also amazing was the concert at the theatre in the Forbidden City of Beijing where I experienced unique moments. At last our concert in Cuba, in Havana where I had 12 encores. What an audience!
You are returning to Australia this year to attend Greek festivals in Sydney and Melbourne. How do you feel to be returning?
I feel wonderful. I love Australia. I love it because it is a unique country, with beautiful weather and lovely people. I also love it because in that country you can find Greeks who have dreams, who have touched the future of themselves and their children. I love the Greeks of the diaspora because they always do things that connect them with the motherland. We are talking about the third, fourth generation, but still if you see their eyes you understand that there is the Greek sparkle. I think that the nostalgia, the passion and the Greek hospitality is following the new generations too.
What can people expect to see from your concerts?
In these concerts the audience will listen to the best of my career, but also the well known songs of great Greek composers such as Theodorakis and Xarchakos. It is a rainbow of musical colours from Greece. Together with five soloist musicians making fire we will come all together as one huge hug.
Do you have a message for the Greek community in Australia?
I will dedicate to the audience the title of one of my songs Ki imaste akoma zontanoi (We Are Still Alive). I wish them health and all their dreams to come true. I want them to pick their life up from where they left it because of COVID-19 and move it forward. Be grateful for every second of life. I look forward to seeing you.
In December 2022, two chefs opened a Greek-inspired brewpub and restaurant in the Queensland rural suburb of Forest Glen to support local businesses, residents and restore local tourism.
Adrian Chrisanthou and Craig Hall spoke to the Sunshine Coast News about the opening and said the reception from locals and tourists has been “really good.”
“We’re doing it for the locals. That’s really important,” Craig told the newspaper.
Tziki Bar is inspired by Adrian’s Greek Cypriot-born father and offers “Greek classics with a modern twist.”
Greek classic food. Photo: Sunshine Coast News.
With a retro, semi-industrial restaurant and interesting food like Greek pizza, the new place in the Sunshine Coast hinterland is booming.
“We’ve worked closely with the guys there [the brewery which operates next door] to make sure we’ve got fresh, clean, approachable, Greek Island-like beer, which we’re pretty happy with,” Adrian told the Sunshine Coast News.
The brewery, produces three Greek islander style beers: a Tziki mid-strength, lager and pale ale.
Tziki Bar Greek pizza.
Adrian prides himself on the fresh taste which comes from the restaurant: “Our yiros, all our mezze, the desserts, our stocks and sauces – everything is made from scratch.”
“Whether it be feta cheese or haloumi… it’s all about keeping it simple but doing it right, using the best-quality ingredients and all our techniques in the kitchen,” Adrian added.
The new restaurant and brewpub is a second venture by the chefs, as the pair also own the popular Queensland modern Mediterranean Green Zebra Restaurant.
A popular form of folk art in Greece, traditional Greek handicrafts are beautiful decorative and functional objects made mostly by hand.
In recent years their production has been declining and Greek Minister of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni, said that by designating a museum to the craft the museum: “It can revive the traditional printing and dyeing technique, utilising modern artistic creation, industrial design and production.”
Handicrafts at the historical building of the printing and dyeing workshop “Hellenic Handkerchief Industry (BEM)”. Photo: Greek Ministry of Culture.
The new museum will be set up in the historical building, Hellenic Handkerchief Industry (BEM),in Metaxourgeio near the centre of Athens.
Mendoni said restoring BEM, which was built around 1900, will transform the historical place into a “versatile cultural centre.”
According to CNN Travel, the Greek island of Samothrace is a ‘vision in green.’
The ragged rocks of Mount Saos, the island’s highest mountain at 1,611 meters, give way to gentle slopes covered in uniquely shaped plane trees, oak woodlands and majestic cedars.
Located in the Aegean Sea near Greece’s northeastern border with Turkey – Samothrace is a quick ferry ride from Alexandroupoli on the mainland.
Pachia Ammos is the island’s only sandy beach.
The Greek island was once known across the ancient world for its religious sanctuary yet today it is becoming a hotspot for ecotourists.
CNN Travel highlighted some appealing features of the island and said it is a place for ‘young feet’ with young campers in the 20s and 30s experiencing the undisturbed nature.
River hikes, waterfall pools, mountaineering for those with experience, beaches and boating, are a few of the adventurous activities people can experience on the island.
As part of the special centenary initiative, Kytherian Australians will be able to inscribe the names of Kytherian migrants onto a dedicated bronze panel on the Monument, thanks to supporters Frutex, Pallion and Poulos Bros Seafood.
The Kytherian panel, which will be unveiled at a special ceremony this year, will be the first dedicated panel on the Monument, with all the names from the same geographic area.
Our immigrant predecessors’ names will be together with their Kytherian compatriots, making this a special destination site for future generations to learn and reflect.
“It is our absolute duty to remember our brave Kytherian migrant relatives who left their families and homes for the great unknown of a new life in Australia,” Peter Poulos, from Poulos Bros Seafood, said.
“It was then a ‘one-way’ ticket for them and without their tears and sacrifice we would not be here today.
Kytherian Emmanuel Alfieris and his dad at the Monument. Photo by Marinco Kojdanovski / Australian National Maritime Museum.
More details about the panel:
Each inscribed line on the Monument requires a tax-deductible donation of $500 directly to the Australian National Maritime Museum. You can include a single name or multiple names from the one family, as long as the total inscription length is less than 43 characters (spaces included). There will be a maximum of 270 lines on the panel and it will be on a “first come first served” basis.
The donation cut off has been extended to 28 February 2023. So please make your donations to avoid missing out on this once in a lifetime opportunity.
To limit the financial exposure for the Kytherian Association of Australia, this initiative is on a best endeavours basis. If we do not achieve the full 270 lines, then our Kytherian names will all be together on a single panel, but it will not be an exclusive panel. In other words, names from other parts of the world may also be included on the panel.
To secure a line please visit www.sea.museum/kytherian. Also check the Kytherian Association of Australia website for a “How to Guide” if you need help completing the process OR you can call the Australian National Maritime Museum on (02) 9298 3777 (*please mention Kytherian Panel)
The Greek Festival of Sydney has announced a tribute show for Greek music legends, Mimis Plessas and Giorgos Zambetas, will take place on Sunday, April 2 at the Factory Theatre in Sydney.
The show will feature a 13-piece band under the direction of Nikos Sousamidis.
With more than 300 songs and instrumental pieces combined, the two composers are rightfully considered as “legends” of Greek music.
“With this event we aim to pay tribute to these two famous composers, whose songs had a major impact on the Greek Music as a whole,” Chair of the Greek Festival of Sydney, Nia Kateris, said.
“Songs that are still widely played and will always hold a special place in the hearts of Greeks of generations past, present and future. We know that Nick and his team will not disappoint.”
Tickets can be purchased directly here, from the website of Factory Theater or by calling the Box Office on 9550 3666.
Greece won ‘Best Tourism Destination for 2023’ at the annual Grand Travel Awards (GTA), Tornos News reports.
The award ceremony was held in Oslo, Norway, by Reis magazine – one of Scandinavia’s leading and influential travel publications.
During the event, Pavlos Mourmas, Chief of the Greek National Tourism Organisation’s (GNTO) Scandinavia and Baltic States branch, accepted the award and reflected on Greece as a travel destination.
“What characteristic makes our country attractive to Norwegians?” he asked.
L to R: Greek Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires in Oslo Konstantinos Danassis, GNTO Scandinavian branch Head Pavlos Mourmas, Flyr Airlines Strategic Advisor to the CEO Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen. Flyr Airlines Financial Director Brede Huser. Photo: Visit Greece.
“Is it just the sea and the sun, the sandy beaches, the gastronomy, the nature, the culture, and the scattered monuments and archaeological sites that transform the country into an ‘open-air museum?’.”
Mr Mourmas thanked all those who voted for Greece and added that traditional Greek hospitality is what makes the country so popular.
He invited all Norwegians to visit, assuring them that “you may come as ‘guests’ but you will return as ‘friends’.”
The Grand Travel Awards have been running for 25 consecutive years.
The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) and Channel 31 have partnered up to bring the exciting final matches of the Greek Shield and the Greek Cup Final to viewers in Victoria. Soccer fans can now enjoy the exhilarating games from their comfort of their home.
The tournament has now reached its pinnacle with Malvern City FC and Doncaster Rovers facing off for the Greek Community Shield, while Mill Park Soccer Club battles South Melbourne FC for the converted Greek Community Cup.
Bill Papastergiadis OAM, President of the GCM, shared his excitement about the successful partnership with Channel 31.
“This partnership with Channel 31 will give the opportunity to all the soccer fans who can’t attend Mill Park to watch the games and through this collaboration we are able to promote to a broader audience the high quality soccer these Greek teams play,” Mr Papastergiadis said.
“Our objective through the Greek Community Cup is to bring together teams of Greek heritage on the football pitch. To give them the chance to come together, compete and thrive! We are very excited to be able to bring the Community together and we encourage all the fans to come down to Mill Park and support the boys.”
Michael Zafiropoulos, Board Chair at Channel 31: said: “Community television is pleased to be promoting and contributing to the success of the Hellenic Soccer Cup, which has been organised by the Greek Community of Melbourne and Victoria.”
“Sport plays an important role in maintaining cultural identity and engaging the youth in constructive activity. For more than a century the Greek Community has shown leadership in a range of activities relating to our multicultural society. The Hellenic Soccer Cup is another such initiative, which has been planned and executed most successfully,” Mr Zafiropoulos added.
“The Community broadcaster is pleased to be strengthening our relationship with an ethnic group that has played such a significant role in developing Australia as a culturally diverse and socially cohesive society.”
Michael Karamitos, Vice-President of the GCM, said: “We are very excited to join forces with Channel 31 and show to a broader audience that the Hellenism in Victoria is very strong through athleticism and fair play.”
“Our aim when we envisioned to re-start the Greek Community Cup is to get together and create a tournament which will bring friends together, to mingle and network. All the Greek Soccer Clubs have been putting the hard yards and we are so proud that all the soccer lovers have been able to enjoy some scintillating games,” Mr Karamitos said.
The final will be held on Saturday, February 11 at Mill Park Soccer Club, Partridge Street, Lalor.
COMMUNITY SHIELD FINAL Malvern City FC vs Doncaster Rovers 1PM
GREEK CUP FINAL South Melbourne FC vs Mill Park FC 1PM
