Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will delay a planned visit to Turkey by one day to Thursday because of a scheduling conflict with a meeting of NATO ministers, the Foreign Ministry in Athens said on Tuesday.
The visit comes amid tensions over territorial disputes between Ankara and Athens, underlined this week by conflicting comments about Turkey’s 2019 maritime demarcation accord with Libya in the eastern Mediterranean.
FM @NikosDendias & DefMin @npanagioto to participate via videoconference in an emergency joint meeting of #NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs & Defence
Dendias was originally due in Ankara on Wednesday following a meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios in Istanbul on the same day but changed his plans because of a video conference between NATO ministers, an official said.
“Dendias will meet the Ecumenical Patriarch tomorrow in Istanbul, he will return in Athens for the NATO meeting and will go to Ankara on Thursday to meet his counterpart,” a Greek government official told Reuters. “It was the NATO meeting that changed the plans.”
The Greek foreign ministry said Dendias would meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu for talks on Thursday about bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues.
The head of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, is due in Athens on Wednesday to meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Stefanos Tsitsipas scored his first clay-court win of 2021 against one of the most in-form players of the season, easing past fellow Australian Open semifinalist Aslan Karatsev, 6-3, 6-4 to reach the third round of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.
The No. 4 seed earned a decisive break in each set and saved all break points faced on serve to advance after one hour and 24 minutes on Court Rainer III.
“I was quite aggressive today and had games where I was serving really well,” Tsitsipas told Prakash Amritraj at the Tennis Channel desk in Monte Carlo.
“It wasn’t easy playing against him, considering I haven’t played him before and I didn’t know what to expect. He started pretty strong and I could tell he really wanted this win. I pushed back and knocked him out when I had to.”
The Greek No. 1 has displayed impressive consistency to reach the quarterfinals or better in his first five ATP main-draw events—finishing runner-up to Alexander Zverev in Acapulco last month—and, ranked at his career-high of world No. 5, is surely on many short lists for Roland Garros success after making his first semifinal in Paris last fall.
Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas (top) shakes hands with Russia’s Aslan Karatsev after winning in their second round singles match on day three of the Monte-Carlo ATP 1000 Masters Series tennis tournament in Monte-Carlo, Monaco on April 13, 2021. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)
A 2019 finalist and semifinalist in Madrid and Rome, respectively, the 22-year-old has sought frequent advice from three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten.
“He has helped me a lot,” Tsitsipas said earlier this week. “I trust him, I feel we have things in common. I wish I could have him with me, but it is important for my career that we talk, that he can help me.”
Tsitsipas awaits the winner of John Millman and 16th seed Christian Garin for a spot in the quarter-finals.
On Saturday, April 10, the newly formed Canberra Greek band, “Kefi,” officially launched, hosting their very first exclusive live gig at the Boardwalk Bar and Nightclub in Belconnen, Canberra.
The event was a huge success with tickets selling out within days therefore, creating a second show added in May to keep up with demand.
Kefi Band was formed in August 2020, through a love of music, entertainment, and an immense love of culture, with the aim to preserve this and to fill a void, which was much needed in the Canberra Greek Community.
Kefi band in Canberra. Photos Tania Vlahos.
The band consists of 7 members being: Kosta Vlahos and Katie Merkoureas on vocals, Stratos Gianakakis and Kon Velanis on bouzouki, Stavros Gianakakis on keys, Mario Neou played the drums and Theodore Merkoureas was on percussion.
The band plays a wide range of predominantly modern Greek, “laiko” and some current and classic English music, in order to entertain and cater to all audiences.
Their inspiration comes from the influences of artists such as Glykeria, Marinella, Haris Alexiou, Stellios Kazzantzidis, Antonis Remos as well as Pandelis Pandelidis.
Everyone enjoyed themselves on the night. Photo: Boardwalk Night Club.
“We take inspiration from artists and shows we’ve seen and experiences, both Greek and non-Greek,” Stratos Gianakakis, the bouzouki player, shares.
When asked about how “Kefi” will change the face of Greek culture in the relation to music, Kefi shared that they hope it “sparks new life, passion and kefi” for the current and coming generations of the Greeks of Canberra. They aim to be the face of Greek music for Canberra to continue playing music and doing what they love and sharing their passions with the wider community.
Last Saturday’s event, their first gig at the Boardwalk nightclub, was a big success. Kefi shared the venue was amazing and very accommodating especially considering COVID restrictions on numbers and they were looked after so well and had a great turnout with a very supportive and enthusiastic crowd.
Kefi band will be having their next show coming up on Saturday, May 15. Photo: Tania Vlahos.
“We want to keep evolving as musicians and we want to continue developing and improving our show to keep it fresh for regular events. Our drive is to give the Canberra Greek music scene a much needed revival and make every night better than the last,” the band shares.
Kefi band will be having their next show coming up on Saturday, May 15, as well as many more exciting things to come soon. So get your calendars ready!
We look forward to seeing what else Kefi brings to the table and wish them all the best in their musical endeavours.
In the lead up to Greek Orthodox Easter, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, District of Northcote, Victoria, have launched a Byzantine art and craft exhibition titled ‘Anastasi.’
The exhibition, which was organised by the District of Northcote Book Centre in collaboration with Uriel’s Workshop Art Gallery, features art such as traditional styled icons and wood carved creations, which aim to acknowledge the rich history of the Christian Orthodox past.
The opening night was a success.
Photos: Facebook / Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia District of Northcote.
On the opening night, various clergy, artists and iconographers from around Victoria gathered to admire the Byzantine art and listen to a keynote speech from Dean Kalymnios on the importance of icons and their history.
The Very Reverend Father Evmenios, Archiepiscopal Vicar for the District of Northcote, as well as the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Emmanuel Kakavelakis, and many other prominent members of the Greek community, were also present.
A number of speeches were given to launch the exhibition’s opening night. Photo: Facebook / Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia District of Northcote.
After a number of official speeches, all attendees were encouraged to take in the exhibition and talk amongst themselves about some of their favourite pieces of Byzantine art.
The exhibition will be on display all week from 10am – 6pm at Uriel’s gallery in Coburg.
Ellie Lambeti, born as Elli Loukou, was a Greek actress. She was one of the most famous Greek actresses and remembered as a charming and elegant woman. Ellie embodied the real Greek urban woman in an etheric way. One of her most recognisable features was the melancholic look she always had in her eyes.
But who was this charming woman born in the ’20s, and why is she still one of the most recognisable greek actresses?
Early Life:
Ellie was born in 1926 in the village Vilia to Kostas Loukos and Anastasia Stamati and was one of seven children. In 1928, she moved with her family to Athens. She was destined for fame, as her family had many historical figures, as she was a descendant of Captain Stamatis, who fought with Kolokotronis against Turks in the 1821 Revolution.
In 1941, she tried to begin her journey into fame by attempting to get into Theater school, although she was unsuccessful in passing the exam. Despite this, Marika Kotopouli, a famous Greek actress in the 1900s, found in Ellie a true talent and accepted her to Drama school.
Marika Kotopoulis intuition was right and Ellie became one of her favourite students. In that same year, Ellie changed her stage name to Lambeti. As her teacher Marika Katopouli was impressed by her talent, so much so that in 1942 she gave her the main role in the play The Ascension of Little Hannele written by Gerhart Hauptmann.
Acting Career and Personal Life:
One of Ellie Lambeti’s first films ‘Adoulotoi sklavoi’ where she played a young actress on the end of World War II. Whilst on set, she met Marios Ploritis, who was the director, she ended up marrying Marios.
Although the marriage didn’t last long and the couple divorced in 1953 when she met Dimitris Horn, with whom she also co-worked. Ellie and Dimitris together created some of the greatest moments of Greek cinematography and theatre. Together they played in famous plays like Quality Street in 1956, The Rainmaker in 1956 and Gigi in 1957.
At the same time, she starred in many Michael Cacoyannis films such as ‘Winfall in Athens’, ‘a girl in black’, and the most recognisable film ‘A Matter of Dignity’. Despite her successes in films, her personal life was very dramatic. Her sister Koula died from cancer, and another sister died in a car crash, and the most painful moment in Ellie’s life was her miscarriage in 1956 with her partner Dimitri Horn.
Dimitris Horn and Ellie Lambeti in ‘Kyriakatiko Xypnima.’
Her life began to more positive in 1959 when she met her second husband, Frederic Wakeman. They move together to a big house in Ampelokipous, and started to travel around the world. But the years together were also challenging for Ellie. Her desire to become a mother and inability to naturally have a child made her to adopt a little girl with Frederic Wakeman.
After four years of struggling with many lawyers to keep the girl, the courts decided that the girl needed to be returned to her biological family. This was one of the biggest reasons that after 16 years of marriage, she finally divorced from Wakeman.
Death and Legacy:
Throughout Ellie’s career of all the successes, one of her most incredible cinematography performances was the movie A Matter of Dignity, where she was selected as a nominee as the best foreign actress in the 1960 BAFTA Awards.
After fighting cancer for many years, she died at the age of 57 in 1983 in New York.
Ellie Lambetti was remembered by all as a beautiful and elegant woman, whose performances made her arguably one of the most recognisable Greek actresses in cinema.
Female councillors have today spoken out about how the toxic workplace culture inside federal and NSW Parliaments is replicated at a local level and is a disincentive for women to enter local government.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, female councillors face a barrage of gendered abuse and harassment from their council colleagues, politicians and the public, including bullying, verbal abuse and intimidation.
One of these females is independent Georges River Councillor, Sandy Grekas. She told the SMH that with council elections due in September, she expects the verbal abuse and online harassment she has suffered to continue “and probably get worse.”
“When other women see the rubbish that I’ve gone through, it completely puts them off from running for council,” she told the media outlet.
Georges River Councillor, Sandy Grekas.
Fewer than one in three councillors in NSW are women compared to 43 percent in Victoria.
Researchers found gender abuse and harassment was rife in Victorian councils, with 23 percent of women councillors “very often” experiencing negative behaviour that affected them personally, compared to 3 percent of male colleagues.
Cr Grekas told the SMH that some male councillors spoke aggressively to and over female councillors and staff, “and there’s no way in the world they would speak that way to men.”
A neighbour’s fence was graffitied with the words “F—in’ Snitch” after a meeting at which Cr Grekas called on two councillors facing corruption allegations to stand aside. A supporter’s car was also vandalised.
Cr Grekas said she had suffered verbal abuse in council meetings and a campaign of online abuse. “There’s been all sorts of nonsense published about me; that I’m a bully, that I’m an alcoholic,” she said.
In response, Local Government Minister, Shelley Hancock, said it was unacceptable for any woman to feel harassed, abused or bullied. She said the model code of conduct had been strengthened and any councillor found to have breached their obligations, which includes bullying or harassment, faced suspension or disqualification from civic office.
“I am appalled and horrified hearing accounts of abuse,” Ms Hancock said. “This type of behaviour has no place in any council or in society more broadly.”
According to new biography by Lyndsy Spence, which features never-before-seen letters by Maria Callas, the famous Greek soprano never knew real love offstage.
Her mother blackmailed her, her husband, Giovanni Battista Meneghini, stole from her, and shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis, was violent and abandoned her for Jackie Kennedy, the new research reveals.
Biographer, Ms Spence, told The Guardian that the letters relating to Onassis reveal the terrifying ordeal Callas suffered, especially when, in 1966, his physical violence threatened her life.
“I was given access to three enormous collections which were bequeathed to various archives in 2019 and, until now, have never been published. Among the papers were Callas’ letters revealing her innermost thoughts,” Ms Spence says to the media outlet.
Maria Callas with lover Aristotle Onassis in 1959. Photograph: Hulton Deutsch/Corbis/Getty Images.
“There is also disturbing information from the diary of one of her close friends detailing how Onassis drugged her, mostly for sexual reasons – today we would class that as date rape.”
Writing to her secretary, Callas confided: “I wouldn’t want him [Onassis] to phone me and start again torturing me.”
On the pain of her marriage to Meneghini, Callas despaired: “My husband is still pestering me after having robbed me of more than half my money by putting everything in his name since we were married… I was a fool… to trust him.” She described him as “a louse”, lamenting that he “passes for a millionaire when he hasn’t got a dime.”
The opera singer’s childhood:
Callas, who was born in New York to impoverished Greek immigrants in 1923, was one of opera’s most revered singers. Her performances of Tosca at Covent Garden have been described as among the greatest opera experiences of all time.
Maria was born in New York to impoverished Greek immigrants in 1923.
But the new revelations include the truth about Callas’ harrowing childhood in Europe.
“Callas resented her mother, who worked as a prostitute during the war, for trying to pimp her out to Nazi soldiers,” Ms Spence says.
Later, Callas’ mother sold stories to the press and blackmailed her to keep her mouth shut, writing to her daughter: “You know what cinema artists of humble origins do as soon as they become rich? In the first month they spend their first money to make a home for their parents and spoil them with luxuries… What have you got to say, Maria?”
Callas confided: “If she was a real mother to me a long while ago, I would [have] cherished her.”
Nor was her father better, with Ms Spence explaining to The Guardian: “He wrote her a letter, pretending he was dying in a pauper’s hospital in an attempt to get money from her. In fact, he had a minor ailment.”
Maria was one of opera’s most revered singers.
Callas wrote: “I am fed up with my parents’ egoism and indifference toward me… I want no more relationship. I hope the newspapers don’t catch on. Then I’ll really curse the moment I had any parents at all.”
Callas’ death:
Callas died in 1977 aged 53. The unpublished material also gives new insights into her health problems, which affected her performances in the 1960s, and her dependence on drugs. She lost her voice several times.
“I tracked down the neurologist who treated her before her death. Callas suffered from a neuromuscular disorder whose symptoms began in the 1950s, but she was dismissed by doctors as ‘crazy.’ It also explains the loss of her singing voice, which cut her career short,” Ms Spence says.
“The death of Callas is a harrowing tale. Alone in her Parisian apartment, she relied on her estranged sister, Jackie, and companion, Vasso Devetzi, to supply her with [a sedative]. Her life was full of tragedy, but I wanted to give her her voice.”
Sydney’s Greek, Armenian and Assyrian communities are being encouraged to participate in the 2021 March for Justice, which will occur in Sydney’s CBD on Saturday, April 24, according to the Armenian National Committee of Australia.
The Joint Justice Initiative, which is represented by the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), the Assyrian National Council of Australia and the Australian Hellenic Council, are calling on their respective communities to turn up to The Domain in Sydney to begin the March for Justice, which sends a clear message to Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, and his government that these communities demand Federal Government recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian and Greek Genocides.
This cooperative expression of demand is a graduation of the Joint Justice Initiative’s activities from the strictly political to the grassroots. Since the three communities’ advocacy arms formalised their cooperation with a launch in February 2020, over 40 Federal parliamentarians have signed up to the Joint Justice Initiative, pledging allegiance to national Australian recognition of the 1915 genocides.
The annual March For Justice will begin at 3pm (AEST), and typically attracts thousands of marchers. This year’s procession will begin at The Domain and proceed through Sydney’s Central Business District before concluding with a special programme at Sydney Town Hall.
Led by the Homenetmen Scouts Marching band, the leading delegation will also include political representatives, clergy, community leaders, youth groups and school students from the Armenian Australian, Assyrian Australian and Greek Australian communities.
“Most Armenian Australians, as well as many Assyrian Australians and Greek Australians, are direct descendants of survivors of what we commemorate as the Armenian Genocide,” said ANC-AU Political Affairs Director, Michael Kolokossian.
“Many of us have been directly impacted by the the Turkish State’s genocidal policies, execution and denial in our own ways, and us Armenians saw this manifest again during the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War.
The Joint Justice Initiative’s march last year. Photo: Facebook.
“We are pleased to be standing in solidarity with our sisters and brothers from the Assyrian and Greek communities at this year’s March for Justice, and are determined to project our voices all the way to Canberra.”
Buses have been organised to be leaving from numerous locations across Sydney including Willoughby, Chatswood, Ryde, Bonnyrigg, Lidcombe and Wentworthville. Announcements detailing specifics will follow.
The March for Justice is also co-sponsored by the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee and organised by a group of the largest Armenian Australian organisations.
A similar group of organisations in Melbourne have announced a Melbourne March for Justice for the same day, April 24, 2021.
The head of Libya’s new interim government and Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Monday affirmed their commitment to a controversial 2019 maritime agreement that has angered Greece and Cyprus.
Speaking following a meeting in Ankara with Libyan Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, Erdogan pledged to support Libya’s unity, its reconstruction and its military. Turkey would also be sending 150,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses, as well as manage a pandemic hospital in Tripoli, to help the North African country battle its outbreak, Erdogan said.
Libya’s interim government, which took power last month, is meant to bring together a country that has been torn apart by civil war for nearly a decade. It is also aims to steer through a general election on December 24.
A handout photo made available by the Turkish President Press office shows, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, (right) and Libya’s interim Prime Minister, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, during a press conference after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on Monday. Source: EPA.
Turkey has been closely involved in Libya, backing the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), based in the capital Tripoli that controlled the west, against the Libyan National Army (LNA), based in Benghazi that controlled the east. Turkey sent military supplies and fighters to Libya, helping to tilt the balance of power in favor of the Tripoli government.
Turkey also signed an agreement with the Tripoli-based government delineating the maritime boundaries between the two countries in the Mediterranean, triggering protests from Greece and Cyprus. Both countries denounced the agreement, saying it was a serious breach of international law that disregarded the rights of other eastern Mediterranean countries.
“The memorandum of understanding concerning the maritime jurisdiction in the Mediterranean that we signed with our neighbor Libya, has secured the interest and future of both countries,” Erdogan said.
Dbeibah, who has been trying to strike a balance between Turkey and Greece following Athens’ concerns over the maritime deal, also said the deal serves both Turkey and Libya’s national interests. He added however, that it was important to start a dialogue that would take into account all involved parties’ interests.
Previously, Dbeibah has said his government is willing to establish a joint Libyan-Greek committee to resume negotiations to set the sea boundary between the two countries and demarcate an exclusive economic zone for oil and gas drilling rights.
Dendias vows Greece ‘is back’ in Libya:
Meanwhile, Greece called for the accord to be cancelled, as it reopened its embassy in Libya after seven years on Monday.
Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, met Libya’s alternative Prime Minister, Hussein Atiya Abdul Hafeez Al-Qatrani, in Benghazi on Monday and noted that Libya’s parliament had not ratified the accord, which Greece considers has no legal force.
Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias (left), met Libya’s alternative Prime Minister, Hussein Atiya Abdul Hafeez Al-Qatrani, in Benghazi on Monday. Source: ANA-MPA.
“Greece has always believed that the solution of Libya’s problems must come from the immediate departure of all foreign armed forces and foreign mercenaries from Libyan soil,” he stressed.
The minister also traveled to Benghazi to meet with representatives of the Greek community of the region.
“Greece is back to help as much as it can. With our people, with our identity as a European Union member, and we hope to maintain our friendship with Libya and help Libya move forward and become a prosperous and stable country,” he said to a gathering of Greeks in Benghazi.
The Greek government will introduce an amendment abolishing all voting restrictions on the Greek diaspora, Interior Minister, Makis Voridis, said on Monday.
The issue was raised after Theodora Tzakir, a SYRIZA MP responsible for diaspora affairs, said in an interview with The National Herald that Greeks living abroad were being subject to “unfair and devaluing limitations” with regards to their right to vote in Greece’s national elections. She said the leftist party would remove these restrictions if it returned to power.
In his comments, Voridis said the amendment would be tabled before Parliament on Monday.
Greece vows to abolish all voting restrictions for Greek diaspora.
Government spokesperson, Aristotelia Peloni, confirmed that with the amendment, “for the first time, Greek voters outside the country have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote from their place of residence.”
She added that “what is proposed is to abolish the precondition of staying in Greece for two years during the last 35 years and the obligation to file a tax return during the current or previous year.”
Recently-passed legislation gives all Greek citizens living abroad the right to vote in the next national election if they can prove that they have lived continuously in Greece for two years in the last 35 years. This can be validated by presenting a variety of documentary evidence, which among others includes the national service certificate, proof of social security contributions and degrees from Greek universities.
Kathimerini also recently reported that the government is preparing an online registry for Greeks living abroad in a bid to strengthen diaspora ties with the homeland, as well as enhance public diplomacy and nation branding.
