Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday night denounced Turkey’s decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
The Greek PM said it was an affront to the monument’s global significance and that the move would not only adversely impact Turkey’s relations with Greece but also with the EU, UNESCO and the global community.
“Greece categorically condemns Turkey’s decision to convert Hagia Sophia to a mosque,” Mitsotakis said, noting that the move, which comes 85 years after its transformation into a museum, “is an affront to its ecumenical character.”
Η Ελλάδα καταδικάζει με τον πιο έντονο τρόπο την απόφαση της Τουρκίας να μετατρέψει την Αγία Σοφία σε τζαμί. Η απόφαση αυτή επηρεάζει όχι μόνο τις σχέσεις της Τουρκίας με την Ελλάδα. Αλλά και τις σχέσεις της με την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, την Unesco και την παγκόσμια κοινότητα συνολικά. pic.twitter.com/N1osenh2TY
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) July 10, 2020
The decision, Mitsotakis said, will not only influence Turkey’s relations with Greece but also with the EU, UNESCO and the world community.
It is “regretful,” he added that Turkey’s leadership, which worked for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in 2005, “is now choosing to move in the opposite direction.”
Greece categorically condemns Turkey’s decision to convert Hagia Sophia to a mosque. This decision, taken 85 years after Hagia Sophia was declared a museum, is an affront to its ecumenical character. Furthermore, it is a decision that offends all those who recognize Hagia Sophia as an indispensable part of world cultural heritage. This decision clearly affects not only Turkey’s relations with Greece but also its relations with the European Union, UNESCO, and the world community as a whole. It is a truly regretful development that the Turkish leadership, after working for the Alliance of Civilizations in 2005, has now taken the decision to reverse course.
Greek side PAOK were handed a lifeline in their pursuit of Champions League qualification when the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned a seven-point deduction on Friday.
PAOK were adjudged to have broken the Greek football federation (EPO)’s ownership rules by having a stake in league rivals Xanthi FC.
The court upheld PAOK’s appeal and referred the case back to the EPO, who must deliver a fresh verdict.
The temporary decision restores PAOK to second place in the Greek top division behind newly-crowned champions Olympiakos, with three rounds to play.
Olympiakos are guaranteed a spot in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, while the runners-up enter the second qualifying round of the Europe’s elite competition.
“The CAS panel found that, notwithstanding its power to decide the case itself, it was not appropriate to render a final and binding decision in such circumstances, with major consequences for Greek football,” the court said.
Olympiakos had also lodged a complaint against the EPO’s decision, asking for harsher sanctions to be imposed on PAOK and Xanthi.
The court also confirmed Xanthi’s seven-point deduction remains in place as they did not appeal against it.
The “76-square-mile haven” of Paros in the Aegean Sea has been voted the best island in Europe by the readers of the influential magazine Travel + Leisure, who participated in the voting for the World’s Best Awards 2020.
The beautiful Greek island of Paros was selected for its combination of beautiful beaches, traditional architecture, picturesque villages, archaeological sites and bustling nightlife.
Paros replaced Milos at the top of this year’s Best European Island list, bumping it to second place, yet still ahead of Italy’s Sicily, the Azores in Portugal, the Dalmatian Islands of Croatia and another busy Greek destination, Crete.
Marcello Beach. Source: PitK / shutterstock
Rhodes and the Dodecanese came in 10th place, just above Santorini, while Corfu and the Ionian Islands ranked 18th, also above the other wildly popular Greek island, Mykonos, which came in last in 20th place.
Every year for the “World’s Best Awards” survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated islands according to their activities and sights, natural attractions and beaches, food, friendliness, and overall value.
Writing about the winning island of Paros, T+L says that “this 76-square-mile haven has some of the most beautiful beaches in Greece, stretches of white sand embraced by craggy cliffs on one side and turquoise waters on the other.
“Inland, it charms visitors with its traditional Cycladic architecture, small villages, and ancient monuments. Those looking for nightlife will be pleased with the island’s many clubs.”
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the conversion of one of the world’s most treasured cultural sites into a Muslim house of worship, potentially sharpening the rift between the Ankara government and Europe.
Mr Erdogan signed a decree transferring the 6th-century Hagia Sophia, which had bean a museum for nearly 90 years, to the Diyanet, the country’s highest religious authority.
The decree came shortly after Turkey’s highest administrative court, annulled a 1934 decision to turning the iconic building into an interfaith museum.
Greek Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis strongly condemned the decision to turn the site into a mosque.
“Greece strongly condemns Turkey’s decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque. This decision affects not only Turkey’s relations with Greece. But also its relations with the European Union, Unesco and the global community as a whole,” Mitsotakis says in a tweet.
Η Ελλάδα καταδικάζει με τον πιο έντονο τρόπο την απόφαση της Τουρκίας να μετατρέψει την Αγία Σοφία σε τζαμί. Η απόφαση αυτή επηρεάζει όχι μόνο τις σχέσεις της Τουρκίας με την Ελλάδα. Αλλά και τις σχέσεις της με την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, την Unesco και την παγκόσμια κοινότητα συνολικά. pic.twitter.com/N1osenh2TY
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) July 10, 2020
Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Turkey’s most visited monuments. Finished in the year 537 with futuristic building techniques in what was then Constantinople, it was the main cathedral in Christendom for 900 years before becoming an Ottoman mosque in 1453.
It was converted into a museum in 1934 under the secular founder of the modern Turkish republic, Kemal Ataturk, but the July 2 case before the court challenges the legality of this step.
Since last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has backed the idea of returning the building’s mosque status in several speeches, in an attempt to satisfy his conservative Muslim base, which has always seen Ataturk’s decision as catastrophic.
UNESCO additionally came out to express their regrets over the Turkish government’s decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia without prior discussions.
“The Director-General of UNESCO deeply regrets the decision of the Turkish authorities, made without prior discussion, to change the status of Hagia Sophia,” the organization said. “This evening, she shared her serious concerns with the Ambassador of Turkey to UNESCO.”
According to UNESCO chief Audrey Azoulay, “Hagia Sophia is an architectural masterpiece and a unique testimony to interactions between Europe and Asia over the centuries.”
“Its status as a museum reflects the universal nature of its heritage, and makes it a powerful symbol for dialogue,” Azoulay said.
Turkey’s top administrative court on Friday annulled the 1934 government decree that turned Hagia Sophia into museum.
The Council of State, Turkey’s highest administrative court, received the case July 1 and was expected to make a ruling by July 16. On Friday afternoon, the court annulled the 1934 government decree, paving the way for Hagia Sophia to become a mosque.
Only one hour after the decree was signed, Erdogan ordered the conversion of one of the world’s most treasured cultural sites into a Muslim house of worship.
Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of Turkey’s most visited monuments. Finished in the year 537 with futuristic building techniques in what was then Constantinople, it was the main cathedral in Christendom for 900 years before becoming an Ottoman mosque in 1453.
It was converted into a museum in 1934 under the secular founder of the modern Turkish republic, Kemal Ataturk, but the July 2 case before the court challenges the legality of this step.
Since last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has backed the idea of returning the building’s mosque status in several speeches, in an attempt to satisfy his conservative Muslim base, which has always seen Ataturk’s decision as catastrophic.
Following the court’s ruling, Erdogan’s government still needs to take the actual steps to make the necessary changes in the building to open it for public prayers.
Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was a Byzantine cathedral before being converted into a mosque and is now a museum in Turkey’s capital Istanbul.Murad Sezer / Reuters
UNESCO warned that it must be notified of any change in the status of Istanbul’s sixth-century museum and the changes may have to be reviewed by its World Heritage committee, the United Nation’s cultural body told Reuters late on Thursday.
UNESCO told Reuters that the Hagia Sophia was on its list of World Heritage Sites as a museum, and as such had certain commitments and legal obligations.
“Thus, a state must make sure that no modification undermines the outstanding universal value of a site listed on its territory,” UNESCO said.
“Any modification must be notified beforehand by the state to UNESCO and be reviewed if need be by the World Heritage Committee,” it added.
UNESCO said it had expressed its concerns to Turkish authorities in several letters and conveyed the message to Turkey’s ambassador to the institution on Thursday.
“We urge Turkish authorities to start a dialog before any decision is taken that could undermine the universal value of the site,” UNESCO said.
Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios, the spiritual head of some 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide and based in Constantinople where the Orthodox church stands, said making it a mosque would disappoint Christians and “fracture” East and West, setting up a potential clash of religions.
“The potential conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque will turn millions of Christians around the world against Islam,” Vartholomaios warned prior to the court ruling.
Back in the
1970s, for many children of migrant parents, going to Greek school wasn’t an
option. It was a way of life. It was a chance to learn the Greek language,
history and culture of their parents and in turn, find a place of belonging
where they could express their Hellenic identity proudly.
This expression of Greekness usually occurred three times a week at Greek schools across Sydney including Marrickville, Belmore, Dulwich Hill and Newtown. Most Greek children already spoke Greek at home and so although language and grammar lessons were taught at Greek school, there were also classes on religion, geography, ancient and even modern history. Something which Terri Elefteria Dakis, who provided one of the many photos in this article, says made her feel proud of her heritage.
“Greek School was the place where I was not called a “wog” and therefore, I felt more at ease with my Hellenic identity. It was at Greek school that I could mingle with children of the same cultural background and could freely speak to them in Greek,” Ms Dakis, who went to Greek school at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Parish in Marrickville in the 1970s, tells The Greek Herald.
Greek School at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Parish in Marrickville, circa 1970. Photo: Terri Elefteria Dakis.Greek school at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Parish in Marrickville, 1970. Photo: Terri Elefteria Dakis.
Christina Tsatsoulis, who is one of the students in the Dulwich Hill Greek school photo, agrees with Ms Dakis. She says that as a “studious child,” she loved her experience at Greek school because it gave her a “real flair for the Greek language.”
“Greek schools
were a drag for many but if you had a good teacher it was so much fun,” Mrs
Tsatsoulis says.
Greek School
Teachers:
Teachers
were the centre of every Greek school. They were the main source of discipline,
education and in most cases, fun. They encouraged their students to perform
Greek poems for OXI Day celebrations and some even taught Greek dancing.
“I have many fond memories from that part of my life and lifelong friendships were formed. I was also very lucky to have had an extraordinary Greek school teacher by the name of Mrs Aliki Ellis… She taught us with great passion and was indeed a true inspiration to all of us,” Ms Dakis says.
Mrs Ellis was a favourite at Greek school at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Parish, Marrickville, 1970. Photo: Terri Elefteria Dakis.Greek Poems with Κυρία Σια Κεκη and Κυρία Εφη Τζιομακη at Dulwich Hill Greek School, 1970s. Photo: Christina Tsatsoulis.
In the interest of thorough research for this walk down memory lane, we tracked down Mrs Ellis and found out what she thought of her time as a teacher at the Greek school of St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Parish in Marrickville.
“My time
teaching the beautiful Greek language and culture for many years at St Nicholas
Greek Orthodox church school a few decades ago remains a highlight of my life.
They were some of the best years I’ve ever had,” Mrs Ellis tells The Greek
Herald.
“The students inspired me as I tried to instil in them a love of everything Greek. My reward was seeing young Greek-Australians tap into their Greek roots to keep our beautiful language and culture alive and to pass on to future generations.”
Belmore Greek School, 1974. Photo: Irene Dimitriadis. Mrs Voula Xanthoudakis (teacher on left) taught at the Greek school of St Constantine and Helen in Newtown, 1973. Photo: Michael Xanthoudakis.
The same can
be said for other teachers across Sydney as well, including Mrs Voula
Xanthoudakis who taught at the Greek school of St Constantine and Helen in
Newtown back in the 1970s.
“The little kids were beautiful. I loved teaching them. They would come after school and most were really tired, but they still wanted to learn. Those were the best years and I wish we could get them back,” Mrs Xanthoudakis says.
Although we
might not be able to actually go back to those days as they used to be, we can
at least take a trip down memory lane. And what amazing days they clearly were,
filled with Greek culture, history, language and most importantly, strong
friendships. Many of which remain as strong as ever.
Today we announce the winners for the Battle of Thermopylae 2500 Year Anniversary Competition, each of whom will be receiving a $500 cash prize and will be featured in Wednesday’s edition of The Greek Herald!
First we would like to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who submitted an entry for the competition. We were overwhelmed with responses, receiving works from schools and universities across the country.
The competition was launched to commemorate the 2500 year anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. It required people to submit any piece of writing or artwork, which was then be selected by the team at The Greek Herald.
People truly activated their creative minds. We received a variety of colourful artworks and paintings, along with beautiful pieces of poetry and historical recounts.
We are happy to announce that the winners of the competition for each category are:
Year 7-9: Vaios Tioulis
Year 10-12: Elaina Kazouris
University: Franco Veri
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to everyone who sent in a piece of work for the competition!
We would also like to send a special thanks to the runners up for each category:
Year 7-9: Peter Winnel
Year 10-12: Zack Stephens
University: Jordan Mides
Both the winners and runners up pieces of work will be featured next week online.
The Kytherian World Heritage Fund (KWHF), operating since
2003, has been preserving the Kytherian heritage for 17 years, publishing books
on the Kytherian legacy.
The fund was initially founded by George Poulos and the late
Angelo Notaras OAM, along with Angelo’s business partner and brother John
Notaras.
“They wanted to preserve Kytherian heritage and capture the
knowledge through publishing books in both Greek and English,” committee chair member
Matina Zervos says to The Greek Herald.
“The publishing of the books, most if not all of the
projects, are also supported by the estate of the late Nicholas A. Aroney.”
“It’s not possible to do the projects without their support.”
George and Angelo published books in both English and Greek.
Now acting as a sub-committee of the Kytherian Association of Australia, the
fund sets out with the objective to preserve the Kytherian heritage, culture
and realia, for the benefit of Kytherians worldwide.
“Since its inception there have been a number of Kytherians
who have generously supported the mission of the KWHF and provided both
financial and logistical support,” Matina adds.
The fund has amassed over 100 titles including Australians & Greeks, Kytherian Migrants and their Associations and Life in Australia 1916. With such a large collection, the fund now donates these books to various organisations in an effort to spread the cultural message.
“We donated to the Consulate, we’ve donated a beautiful
bible sets to a number of parishes, and we’ve donated books to the Greek
welfare centre to their library,” Matina says.
The KWHF committee is currently made up of three volunteers;
Matina Zervos (Chair), Barbara Zantiotis and George Preneas, who all donate
their time to carry on the legacy of George and Angelo.
“There are a number of projects currently being undertaken…
including a Kytherian dialect book, working in collaboration the Society of
Kytherian Studies in Athens.”
The fund is currently holding a 50% off RRP sale of all the
Greek language books, CDs and DVDs, with the fund looking to broaden their
reach to Greek-Australian audiences.
“We’ve got lots of stock we would love to move and
importantly, all of the funds generated from the books goes back into future
publishing projects.”
Researchers in Greece say they are close to launching a molecular test to detect COVID-19 which could provide a cheaper alternative to imported kits and uninterrupted access to supplies.
Greece currently uses diagnostic kits imported from a variety of suppliers abroad. The potential new test would use nasal swab samples, two researchers said, and could be available “in the coming future”.
Both researchers requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the project.
Generally, tests both for the virus itself and for the antibodies the immune system produces to fight the infection are becoming more widely available, but they are not perfect. The tests can come back with false positives, false negatives or confoundingly ambiguous results.
A significant number of people may be reluctant to take a test for COVID-19, for various different reasons. Image from Shutterstock
The researchers said their test had a more than a 90 percent accuracy rate. Research centres and at least two publicly-funded Greek universities are involved in the project, launched in February, they said.
In an interview this week, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called the research “great work’.
“We won’t be depending on tests from abroad, and I believe we will be in a position to make some significant announcements on research into therapy protocols,” Mitsotakis told Skai radio.
Greece moved swiftly to contain the virus outbreak by initiating a broad lockdown in March, recording less than 4000 cases, and less than 200 deaths.
Researchers said they had also developed a test with ‘more than 90 percent accuracy’ which can detect COVID-19 antibodies, a sign that someone had contracted the virus.
Research was also underway into how antibodies could be used in a potential cure, they said.
The widow of slain Sydney underworld figure John Macris has given evidence in a Greek court saying she is relieved the Bulgarian brothers accused of his murder were arrested, 9 News reports.
The businessman, 46, who had links to organised crime, was shot dead outside his home in the Athens seaside suburb of Glyfada on October 31, 2018.
CCTV from the night of the murder showed a man in a baseball cap firing a 9mm handgun through the side window of Macris’ car before unloading more shots as he attempted to flee the fire. Mr Macris, a father-of-two, died at the scene.
His wife, Viktoria Karida, a former Playboy model and television star, told the Athens court she recognised one of the alleged killers from the footage.
Yuliyanov J Raychev Serafim and his brother Milen Raychevhas were both charged with first degree murder, with the brothers having links to organised crime in Sydney before Macris moved to Greece in 2013.
Viktoria Karida, widow of slain Sydney gangster John Macris, arrives in court in Greece. Picture: Spyros Bakalis.
The brothers have denied the charges saying they could not be hitmen because professionals would not have used their own names to check into hotels and their own passports.
However, CCTV of the shooting shows a man wearing clothes similar to those found in Serafim’s hotel room, along with a receipt.
Overnight the court heard claims the men had been stalking Mr Macris before he was shot dead.
“That day my husband told his friend that Serafim and his brother were in the same cafeteria as John was,” Ms Karida told the court, according to a translation of her evidence.
Milen Raychev, who is accused of being an accessory to the murder of John Macris, is lead into court in Athens by police. Picture: Spyros Bakalis.
Ms Karida spoke of her relief at her husband’s alleged killers being taken into custody.
“Thank god they got arrested and couldn’t kill another one as they did with John,” she said.
Ms Karida identified Serafim from footage taken from the security cameras outside her home.
“I am a person of detail, I am sure that he is the guy. He runs and walks in the same way. The car they rented has been recorded by the CCTV of the house.
Lawyers for the brothers previously told 9News they deny the charges and knowing Mr Macris.
“From the very beginning they have denied the charges,” defence lawyer Alexandros Lykourezos said last week when the murder trial began.
“They insist they are innocent. They insist. We hope and believe we can prove that.”
