In the packed courtyard of the “Eleftherios K. Venizelos” National Foundation in Halepa, the annual meeting of expatriates entitled “Venizelos in the World: The Foundation’s Branches in the USA and Oceania” took place on Wednesday, August 5, for the eighth consecutive year.
The event was opened by the Foundation’s general director, George Koukourakis, who referred to the achievements of the 26 years of the Foundation’s journey, the important program of events and actions that is underway for the 90th anniversary of Venizelos’ death throughout the country and abroad, the close ties of the Foundation with the diaspora that were cultivated by the late Nikolaos Papadakis (Papadis), and the remarkable work of the US and Oceania Branches.
Then, the distinguished academic from Chania, Othon Anastasakis, Director of the Department of South-East European Studies at Oxford, Senior Research Fellow at St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, and Visiting Professor at the Prague University of Economics, spoke on the topic “The Political Legacy of Eleftherios Venizelos: Leadership, Reforms and the Power of Political Vision”.
The achievements of the Foundation’s US and Oceania Branches and their plans for the future were presented by Nikos Kastrinakis, president of the US Branch and the World Council of Cretans, and Christina Kotsifaki-Sarri, member of the Board of Directors of the Oceania Branch.
Mr. Kastrinakis announced the creation of an endowment at the initiative of the US Branch, with an initial capital of $100,000, from which it will be possible to support the Foundation’s actions in the future.
A decisive contribution to the implementation of this initiative was made by Yannis Giouroukakis and Antonis Diamantakis, members of the Board of Directors of the US Branch, who were proclaimed Partners of the Foundation following the event.
This is the highest honorary distinction awarded to personalities and organizations that support the work of the Foundation and contribute to the preservation of the historical memory of Venizelos.
The event was held with the support of the Association of Friends of the National Foundation “Eleftherios K. Venizelos”.
