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Greece tells migrants from five countries to seek asylum in Turkey

The Greek Herald
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Greece tells migrants from five countries to seek asylum in Turkey

Greece on Monday designated neighbouring Turkey as a safe country in which to seek international protection for the majority of asylum-seekers departing its shores for Greece.

A joint decree from the Greek foreign and migration ministries said the designation applies to asylum-seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia.

It said Turkey meets all criteria to examine asylum requests from these nationals, as there “they are not in any danger… due to their race, religion, citizenship, political beliefs or membership in some particular social group, and can seek asylum in Turkey instead of in Greece.”

READ MORE: New digital barriers aim to deter migrants from entering EU illegally.

That, in theory, could reduce migration flows to European Union member Greece, as it would allow it to return asylum-seekers from these countries to Turkey — which itself has a huge migrant and refugee population.

Greece tells migrants from five countries to seek asylum in Turkey. Photo: Fotomovimiento.org.

Nevertheless, despite pressure from the EU and Athens, Ankara has shown little appetite for taking back migrants who reached Greece from its territory, despite a 2016 Turkish-EU agreement that was meant to stem illegal migration into the 27-nation bloc.

Greek officials said Athens has so far this year asked Turkey to take back 1,453 people, without success.

READ MORE: Greece pushes to send 1,450 migrants back to Turkey.

Nevertheless, Migration Minister, Notis Mitarachi, described Monday’s decision as “an important step in tackling illegal migration flows” which, he said, would “force” Turkey to crack down on illegal migration and smuggling networks.

Mitarachi added that the decision “is fully in line with international law and enhances Greece’s legal arsenal against (asylum) requests by citizens of … Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia, who objectively have no reason not to consider Turkey a safe country.”

Greek Migration Minister, Notis Mitarachi.

Greece and Turkey are historic regional rivals, and military tensions rose dangerously last year over marine boundaries. Athens accuses Ankara of using migration as a weapon, pointing to the Turkish government’s failed bid last year, before the military tension, to wave thousands of migrants and refugees towards Greece.

READ MORE: Greek minister claims NGOs to blame for arrival of undocumented Somali migrants.

Several human rights groups have accused Greece of illegally deporting some migrants to Turkey without letting them apply for asylum. Athens denies that.

Although a record 1 million people entered Greece through Turkey in 2015 — mostly seeking to move on to wealthier EU countries — flows have since been greatly reduced.

So far this year, just over 3,000 people have reached Greece from Turkey, mostly by sea in flimsy craft. According to the UN refugee agency, 47% were Afghans, 15% were Syrians and 9% were Somalis.

Source: AP News.

READ MORE: Greece seeks bids to build closed holding centres for migrants on islands.

Germany wants to abolish right of individual EU member states to veto

The Greek Herald
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Germany wants to abolish right of individual EU member states to veto

Germany’s foreign minister said on Monday the European Union should abolish the right of individual member states to veto foreign policy measures as the 27-nation bloc could not allow itself to be “held hostage.”

His comments, which came days after a more junior official criticised Hungary by name, reflect growing frustration in Berlin at the way in which EU member countries can prevent the bloc from acting in matters on which almost all members agree.

“We can’t let ourselves be held hostage by the people who hobble European foreign policy with their vetoes,” Heiko Maas told a conference of Germany’s ambassadors in Berlin.

Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas.

“If you do that then sooner or later you are risking the cohesion of Europe. The veto has to go, even if that means we can be outvoted.”

His remarks amount to a highly unusual rebuke by Germany of a fellow member-state. Germany, conscious of its economic and political heft within the EU, is normally very cautious about being seen to throw its weight for fear of seeming overbearing.

Hungary blocked an EU statement in April criticising China’s new security law in Hong Kong, undermining the bloc’s efforts to confront Beijing’s restrictions of freedoms in the former British colony.

Source: Ekathimerini.

Maria Sakkari crushes No.4 seed Kenin to reach first ever French Open quarter final

The Greek Herald
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Maria Sakkari crushes No.4 seed Kenin to reach first ever French Open quarter final

Maria Sakkari demolished last year’s French Open runner-up, Sofia Kenin, 6-1, 6-3 on Monday to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time.

The world number 18 needed just 68 minutes to defeat the fourth-seeded American and set up a clash with reigning champion, Iga Swiatek, or Ukrainian teenager, Marta Kostyuk, for a place in the last four.

Sakkari broke Kenin six times as the 2020 Australian Open winner committed 32 unforced errors and served nine double faults.

“I’m speechless. I love Paris. I’m having a great time and I don’t want to leave anytime soon,” Sakkari, who reached the last 16 in Melbourne and New York last year, said.

“I’m actually enjoying myself, that’s the most important thing. I’m not actually torturing myself when I’m on court.”

The win over Kenin was Sakkari’s third win over a top-five player this season. It also left eighth seed Swiatek as the highest-ranked player left in the women’s draw.

“The match before yesterday gave me a lot of confidence,” Sakkari, who beat 14th seed Elise Mertens in three sets in the previous round, said.

“I played really good tennis and so today I was really ready for a battle.”

Source: YahooSport.

‘Taste of GleNTi’ kicks off a big week of Greek festivities in Darwin

Andriana Simos
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‘Taste of GleNTi’ kicks off a big week of Greek festivities in Darwin

Greek music, dancing and food filled Darwin’s Waterfront on Saturday as the ‘Taste of GleNTi’ event kicked off with thousands in attendance.

The mini festival, which was organised by the Greek Orthodox Community of Northern Australia, marked the official launch of a week of events leading up to the annual Darwin Greek GleNTi Festival on June 12-13 at Bicentennial Park, Darwin Esplanade.

The free event included activities like face painting, balloon making and a surprise performance by Peter Rabbit, while the ‘Honey Puff King’ also attended the event, selling special Greek foods like Greek ice coffee, honey puffs, baklava and Greek vanilla slice.

Everyone enjoyed themselves at the ‘Taste of GleNTi’ event. Photo copyright: Georgia Politis Photography. Republished with permission.

While people enjoyed their food and mingled at the souvenir stores, they were also treated to a number of eye-catching Greek dancing performances from the Greek Traditional Dance Group, the Cyprus Community Dance Group and the OPA School of Hellenic Dance Group.

READ MORE: The Darwin GleNTi’s 32 year history has been showcased in a stunning video timelapse.

A special ‘Greek Agora’ stall was even set up for the participating Greek dance groups to help them raise much needed funds to purchase the magnificent Greek costumes they use for their special dance routines.

DJ Rossi Kourounis also entertained the crowds with his upbeat and eccentric tunes.

  • Photo copyright: Georgia Politis Photography / Republished with permission.
  • Photo copyright: Georgia Politis Photography / Republished with permission.

“The mini GleNTi went exactly as I imagined it. I’m really pleased with how the vision came to fruition,” President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Northern Australia, Nicholas Poniris, tells The Greek Herald.

“The buzz on the day couldn’t be captured. You had to be there to experience the enthusiasm from everyone who turned up. It was fantastic.”

READ MORE: Darwin GleNTi returns with a bang in 2021 and is set to mark Greek Revolution bicentenary.

Photo copyright: Georgia Politis Photography. Republished with permission.

Saturday’s event will be followed by a soccer match, called GleNTi Cup, on Tuesday, June 8 between fierce Football NT rivals and Grecian-based clubs, Darwin Olympic and Hellenic.

This sporting rivalry will be followed up by a concert on Wednesday, June 9, with international Greek singer, Dimitris Basis. The concert, Mr Poniris says, will mark the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution this year.

But of course, all the Greek festivities will culminate on the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, when the annual Darwin Greek GleNTi Festival will be held.

Cretan Association of SA brings community together in Battle of Crete commemorative event

Argyro Vourdoumpa
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Cretan Association of SA brings community together in Battle of Crete commemorative event

With a sold-out Dinner Dance held on Saturday, 5 June at the Chian Association Hall in Rosewater, Adelaide, the Cretan Association of SA concluded its second week of commemorative events for the 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Crete while raising vital funds for the Club.

In his opening speech for the evening, the Association’s President, Pantelis Fridakis welcomed the attendees and special guests, before he went on to talk about on the importance of the Battle of Crete and the bravery of those who participated. 

“Putting on events like this, it’s not an easy task,” said Fridakis thanking the committee members and volunteers for their efforts and ongoing commitment.

“As you are aware, the last 18 months have been tough for all of us both personally and professionally. Our club was shut for a year and this is the second event we were able to do so far, so I thank each and every one of you for helping us keep the club’s doors open,” he said. 

Special guests included Fr Ioannis Choraitis from the Greek Orthodox Community of The Nativity of Christ Port Adelaide, Fr Chris Tsoraklidis from St Dimitrios Greek Orthodox Parish of Salisbury, Commander Fernando González from the Australian Air Force with his wife and Megan Spencer, the producer of a podcast series about war, remembrance and Australian prisoners of war in Germany during the Second World War.

Addressing the attendees, Commander González, said that being Cretan and wearing the traditional outfit is equivalent to wearing a uniform and medals, while in lieu of a Soldiers Roll of Honour he mentioned -in Greek- the places where the Allied Forces fought to keep the invaders off the Cretan soil. Speeches were also given by Fr Tsoraklidis and Megan Spencer.

The event concluded with music, traditional delicacies prepared by the volunteers and Cretan dances performed by the Association’s Dance Group.

The next commemorative event which will include a ‘Mnimosino’ followed by a screening of the Battle of Crete Documentary is set to take place on Sunday 13 June at the Holy Monastery of St Nectarios, Croydon Park. 

21-year-old, Dylan Birbas, avoids jail for six counts of drug trafficking

The Greek Herald
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21-year-old, Dylan Birbas, avoids jail for six counts of drug trafficking

Dylan Birbas, 21, was “very lucky” to avoid jail in the Adelaide District Court on June 4 after he was caught dealing cocaine, MDMA, marijuana and magic mushrooms.

According to The Advertiser, the court heard Birbas was stopped by police on August 25, 2020 in Adelaide and a search of his car found “468kg of female cannabis,” “850g of marijuana” and “25.5g of magic mushrooms.”

Police later searched Birbas’ house and according to Judge Adam Kimber, they found a backpack in his bedroom containing “magic mushrooms weighing 96.9g” and “two amounts of cocaine…”

The court heard police also found 99 MDMA capsules, empty resealable bags and electronic scales.

Dylan Birbas avoided jail in the Adelaide District Court for six counts of drug trafficking. Photo: Facebook.

“You are not what is sometimes called an impoverished street level dealer – you appear to have been relatively organised,” Judge Kimber said.

“You were able to obtain four different drugs and were trafficking in each – you were selling to support your lifestyle.”

The Morphett Vale local had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of drug trafficking. The court heard the current offending breached Birbas’ two-year good behaviour bond, which he was sentenced to in September 2019 for drug trafficking.

But the court also heard Birbas, who had spent four months in custody, had employment available to him and had returned negative drug tests during his time on home detention bail.

“You are still a young man who has shown some early signs of rehabilitation,” Judge Kimber said.

Judge Kimber sentenced Birbas to three years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of 22-months. He ordered the sentence be served on home detention.

“You are very lucky not to be going to jail for a considerable period of time… Don’t waste the chance you’ve been given,” Judge Kimber said.

Source: The Advertiser.

On This Day in 1822: Konstantinos Kanaris torches the Turkish flagship

The Greek Herald
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On This Day in 1822: Konstantinos Kanaris torches the Turkish flagship

By Ilektra Takuridu.

The burning of the Ottoman flagship took place on the night from the 6th to 7th of June 1822 just off the Greek island of Chios.

The episode, which happened during the Greek War of Independence, was a retaliation for the massacre of Greeks living in Chios, that occurred two months earlier. In the burning of the flagship, 2,000 Ottoman sailors were slain, including the famous Nasuhzade Ali Pasha.

Torching the Turkish flagship:

The Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire began in March 1821. It was an 8 year battle often referred to as ‘agonas‘ – “the struggle.” The revolution would result in Greece’s independence from the Ottomans after over 400 years of oppression.

In 1822, a year after the beginning of the war, Ottoman armies landed on and attacked the Greek island of Chios, killing around 30,000 locals and around 50,000 Greeks were kidnapped and sold as slaves in Izmir and Istanbul.

The burning of the Turkish flagship by Kanaris, painting by Ivan Aivazovsky (1881). Source: San Simera.

Konstantinos Kanaris was a Greek admiral, Prime Minister, and Greek War of Independence hero. He came to popularity and obtained hero status after the burning of the Ottoman ship.  

Unlike most other major personalities of the War, Kanaris had never been inducted into the Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends), which played an important part in the uprising against the Ottoman Empire. The society was crucial in the uprising, mainly due to the secret recruitment of followers against Turkish authority, so it was even more impressive that Kanaris acted independently.

Kanaris himself planned to avenge those lost in the Chios massacre and organised 64 ships from Hydra, Psara, and Spetses to meet at Psara at the end of April and wait for an opportunity to strike the Ottoman forces.

Kanaris and Andreas Pipinos took control of the operation and after several failed attempts, an opportunity arose on the night of June 6 to June 7, 1822.

Biography of Konstantinos Kanaris written in French, Paris 1925. Source: Argolykos Archival Library of History and Culture.

Turkish officers gathered on the flagship of the Turkish armada to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Pipinos attempted to burn the flagship’s rear, but despite significant damage it did not sink because the crew quickly saw the fireboat.

On the other hand, Kanaris managed to attach a ship he set alight to the Ottoman flagship. The Ottoman flagship ‘Mansue al-liwa’ was an 84 gun ship and was full of gunpowder storage.

The flames from Kanaris’ fire-boat reached the gunpowder storage, causing an explosion and sinking the ship. Approximately 2,000 men on board were killed, including Kara Ali, the perpetrator of the Chios massacre.

Kanaris’ victory was quickly spread around Europe. His action inspired famous European artists like Eugene Delacroix, Victor Hugo and Von Hess. A British historian wrote that he is the most outstanding and important representation of Greece’s courageousness and bravery.

Angelo Pandeli named in Australian cartel responsible for $1.5 billion drug imports

The Greek Herald
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Angelo Pandeli named in Australian cartel responsible for $1.5 billion drug imports

An exclusive story by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and 60 Minutes aired last night, revealing how some of Australia’s most dangerous crime bosses have organised themselves into a cartel earning an estimated $1.5 billion a year by smuggling drugs past the nation’s border with the help of corrupt government officials and border insiders.

This intel comes from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission which says nine Australian men, drawn mostly from Australian bikie gangs and Middle Eastern crime syndicates, make up what the agency has named the “Aussie cartel.”

The CEO of the Commission, Michael Phelan, told the media outlets that the cartel’s members are “the baddest of the bad” and estimated they were responsible for “about one-third of the drug importations into our country.”

CEO of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Michael Phelan.

The nine crime bosses have also developed extensive methods of penetrating border security, known as “doors,” giving them an unrivalled capacity to meet Australia’s market for drugs, Mr Phelan said.

“They share supply routes, they share logistic supply chains. They share among themselves the doors or the way into Australia. They share any corrupt networks they may have here to swap information to each other,” Mr Phelan said in the interview.

While Mr Phelan declined to identify the members of the cartel, state and federal policing agency sources told the media outlets they include: Comanchero boss Mark Buddle (who lives in the United Arab Emirates), Hells Angels boss Angelo Pandeli (in Greece and UAE), Triad-linked figure Michael Tu (Hong Kong), George Dib (Lebanon) and Hakan Arif (Turkey). An Adelaide bikie boss recently deported from Singapore and a Sydney logistics, port and transportation expert are also cartel members.

Some official sources have confirmed that two members of the cartel in particular are believed to have government insiders in Australia and overseas in their networks.

Some members of the Aussie Cartel: Hakan Ayik (centre), Mark Buddle (left) and Angelo Pandeli.

The cartel’s founding member and Australia’s most wanted priority target is Hakan Ayik, whom The Age, the Herald and 60 Minutes tracked down to Turkey, where he lives under a new name, Hakan Reis.

Ayik is suspected of co-operating with Pandeli and Buddle, formerly warring bikies who are now working together as part of the cartel to arrange importations, including a $1 billion methamphetamine shipment into Western Australia in 2017 and a January 2020 importation into Melbourne.

Why is the Commission seeking to find these cartel members now more than ever before?

“At this particular point in time, Australia is facing a very serious threat from [offshore] serious and organised crime,” Mr Phelan said.

“I don’t care about playing fair either… Absolutely, we’re hunting them and we make no apology for that.”

Source: Sydney Morning Herald.

Shock on Corfu: Local man allegedly kills two, then himself, over eviction threat

The Greek Herald
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Shock on Corfu: Local man allegedly kills two, then himself, over eviction threat

Police on the Greek island of Corfu said on Sunday that a Greek man facing eviction killed his landlady and another man who came to her rescue and then committed suicide.

The deaths occurred shortly before noon Sunday, in the resort town of Dassia, in the island’s northeast.

The victims were the Greek landlady and a Greek-French man, both in their 60s; the man divided his time equally between Greece and France and also rented an apartment from the woman, police said.

Initial incorrect reports said that the two victims were married and reversed their nationalities, a police spokesman told AP News, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk about a case still under investigation.

Police said the 67-year-old alleged attacker was having a heated argument with the landlady outside the house when the other man, who also had problems with the perpetrator, came to her defense.

The attacker retrieved a hunting rifle from his apartment and killed them both, before going back to the apartment and turning the rifle on himself.

The reason for the threat of eviction was not immediately clear.

A coroner will perform autopsies later on Sunday.

Source: AP News.

Stefanos Tsitsipas storms into quarter finals of the French Open

The Greek Herald
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Stefanos Tsitsipas storms into quarter finals of the French Open

Stefanos Tsitsipas recorded a Tour-leading 37th victory of the season on Sunday as he cruised past Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 to advance to the Roland Garros quarter-finals.

“My performance was good. I was very mentally there in every single game,” Tsitsipas said. “Whether I was serving or not, I was very concentrated in the procedure, in the process.”

The FedEx ATP Race to Turin leader hit 41 winners and only made 17 unforced errors in an impressive display to improve to 3-0 in his ATP Head2Head against Carreno Busta.

Tsitsipas, who reached the semi-finals in Paris last year, prevailed in two hours and six minutes and has dropped just one set through four matches.

“I think every single match that I had against him was a learning experience. I had high expectations for him, and that’s a good thing, going into the match having high expectations [for] your opponent,” Tsitsipas said.

“I think I also had a great start, very good start, where I didn’t let him attack a lot. I actually gave him not that much space to get going.”

It was the Greeks’ 20th clay-court victory of 2021, with a maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Rublev) a high point. He will face second seed Daniil Medvedev for a spot in the semi-finals. The Russian leads their ATP Head2Head series 6-1.

The fifth seed made a roaring start on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion showcased a mixture of power and precision on his backhand and found consistent depth on his forehand return to move 4-1 ahead.

While Carreno Busta worked his way into the contest, stepping into the court to fire away winners on Tsitispas’ second serve, the Greek held firm to fend off two break points at 4-2. He then sealed the set with one of the six aces he hit.

Tsitsipas (right) with Pablo Carreno Busta. Source: Abied / Twitter.

Tsitsipas continued to open his shoulders and strike the ball aggressively at the start of the second, breaking in the first game with an impressive crosscourt forehand winner. The 22-year-old reeled off the next three games to lead 4-0 as he controlled proceedings.

The Spaniard’s level had dropped from the first set, as he won just 30 percent of points on Tsitsipas’ second serve, a decline from 55 per cent in the opener.

Momentum changed at the start of the third though, with Carreno Busta breaking for the first time to lead 3-0 as he began to dictate proceedings on his forehand. However, he could not sustain his level with Tsitsipas closing to 3-4 when the Spaniard fired wide on the backhand.

The Greek, who won 75 per cent of points on his first serve (47/63), then claimed four of the final five games to advance.

Carreno Busta is a two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist, and he only dropped one set on his way to the fourth round this year. However, the 29-year-old’s seventh defeat of the season (17-7) means the Spaniard’s focus will move to the grass.

Source: ATP.

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