The American Hellenic Council of California welcomed the Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia, Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas accompanied by a delegation that included the Executive Secretary of the Region, Mr. Nikolaos Ioannou, the President of the Thessaloniki International Fair, Mr. Anastasios Tzikas and Advisor to the Governor, Mr. Kostas Befas. Participating from the AHC were Vice President of the Board, Eleftheria Polychronis, former President Dr. Menas Kafatos, Treasurer Alex Mizan, Board Members Theodore Polychronis and Zoi Palla and Executive Director, Christianna Kontou.

Following their visit to Silicon Valley and San Francisco, the Governor visited Los Angeles siting the importance of forging a closer relationship between the Region of Central Macedonia and Los Angeles, with an emphasis on the film industry, investment and export of certified Macedonian products. Governor Tzitzikostas also underscored his personal and the Greek government’s commitment for Greeks abroad to be able to vote.

Mr. Tzikas added the addition of an ICT Fair following 2020’s Thessaloniki International Fair, which will focus on tech, where there is a high expectation of Californian presence.

“The Region of Central Macedonia has now surpassed all Greek regions in exports of Greek products and tourism, we are the only region in Greece with a Film Office, located in Thessaloniki, and we are also the only region with studios,” stated Governor Tzitzikostas. “The time for investment is now. The potential collaborations between Central Macedonia and Los Angeles-based business are endless,” he added. “The diaspora is vital to Greece and the new government wants to focus on that and facilitate the involvement of Greek aboard,” he closed.

“Alongside advocating to Congress, cultivating stronger, more direct ties between California and Greece is one of the American Hellenic Council’s focal points,” commented Executive Director, Christianna Kontou. She added, “Greece is the gateway to Europe, Central Macedonia is a major tech hub in the Balkans, American entrepreneurism is key to growth, which means that collaboration will benefit both Greece and the United States on many levels.”

The meeting ended with Governor Tzitzikostas presenting the American Hellenic Council with a rare book of maps of Alexander the Great and Mr. Tzikas presenting a book of the eighty-year history of the Thessaloniki International Fair.

The American Hellenic Council of California and the Armenian National Committee of America–Western Region signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation during a special ceremony on Monday, September 30, 2019, signaling a new chapter of even deeper and more institutionalized relations between the two organizations.

The ceremony took place at the ANCA-WR headquarters in Glendale, with ANCA Western Region Chairperson Nora Hovsepian, Esq. and AHC President James F. Dimitriou, Ph.D. signing the document that went into effect immediately. The Memorandum recognizes the historic relations between the Armenian and Hellenic communities, accentuates the importance of collaboration and mutual understanding, and commits both communities to ensure comprehensive cooperation.

“We look forward to the great opportunity for the AHC to work with ANCA in a common commitment for justice and respect for the rule of law,” said Dr. Jim Dimitriou, AHC Chairman. “Turkey must not be allowed to continue to violate international treaties and law. The Greek and Armenian people share a long and turbulent history and now share a common purpose. We must stand united against a Turkish rogue regime that violates human rights, internationally recognized territorial borders while promulgating continual threats and violations against its neighbors.” He added, “Our time is now! The opportunity is great. The value is justice, and in the words of Plato, ‘Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.’”

“The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation elevates our relationship with the AHC to a deeper institutional level,” remarked ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq. “Our nations have lived side by side for millennia, and we’re codifying both traditional as well as novel areas for our extensive collaboration, taking our advocacy work to new heights.”

Following this memorandum, both AHC and ANCA-WR have agreed to continue in collaboration to undertake joint advocacy measures and public education initiatives promoting human rights, peace, and the rule of the law, and continue their commitment in seeking justice for the Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian Genocide.

In recent years, both groups have worked tirelessly to fight for truth and justice for the Genocide of 1915 and have garnered the support of elected officials from all throughout the western U.S. Moving forward, the parties will also undertake joint activities and initiatives aimed at genocide education; divestment from Turkish government bonds, just and enduring reunification of Cyprus; stopping Turkish violations of Greece’s sovereign air and water; justice for the cultural and civilizational destruction in Nakhijevan by Azerbaijani authorities; international recognition of Artsakh; and a number of other priorities. The close collaboration between AHC and ANCA-WR stretches back many years, as both organizations have already worked on a number of joint projects, most notably on seeking truth and justice for the Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish government.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Los Angeles, California – On Saturday, October 6^th, members of the American Hellenic Council had the pleasure and privilege of welcoming Ms. Evgenia Beniatoglou to Los Angeles as the New Consul General of Greece. Ms. Beniatoglou, who hails from Drama, replaces the honorable Gregory Karahalios after four extraordinary years of service for the Greek Foreign Ministry in southern California.

“I’d like to ask all Greek-Americans to hold on to their Greek roots, and get to know their ancestral homeland better”, said Consul General Beniatoglou in an exclusive interview with AHC Executive Director, Ioannis Fidanakis. “Greece, today, is a different country compared to the one experienced by their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents”.

Prior to her arrival in Los Angeles, Ms. Beniatoglou held positions in the Greek embassy in Doha, Qatar, as well as the Greek Permanent Representation to the UN in Geneva, Switzerland. The new Consul General comes to Los Angeles at an exciting time in the community’s history with the recent founding of the UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture.

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Los Angeles, CA – The Board of Directors of the American Hellenic Council, the leading Greek-American advocacy organization in the Western United States, elected Dr. James Dimitriou of Redondo Beach, California, as their new President and Chairman of the Board on September 1st, 2018.

“It is an honor for me to have the support and confidence of our Board of Directors to continue in the footsteps of our Chairman, Menas Kafatos”, said Dr. Dimitriou. “As a founding member of the former Save Cyprus Council, I hope to serve in the spirit of my early mentors, Dr. Theodore Saloutos, Peter Calogeras, and Aris Anagnos. It is a time of many challenges and threats that will require a rededication of both spirit & action. Please join me in sharing this vision.”

A noted educator and scholar, Dr. Dimitriou is a past Supreme President of AHEPA, as well as a founding member of the Save Cyprus Council (known today as the American Hellenic Council). Over the years, Dr. Dimitriou has played an active role in the community, serving as the former Director of the “Journey to Greece” program, National AHEPA Education Chairman, as well as the Chairman of the Cyprus & Hellenic Affairs Committee. In 2004, Dr. Dimitriou was named to the Order of Saint Andrew of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. He is also a co-founder and current Board member of the Greek Heritage Society, as well as an active Board member of the Hellenic Society of Constantinople, and longtime President of the Marmara Society.

Dr. Dimitriou’s election marks the beginning of a new era for the American Hellenic Council. “The Council couldn’t be in better hands”, said outgoing President Menas Kafatos. “There are a host of issues facing the Hellenic communities in Greece and Cyprus, as well as here in the United States. The American Hellenic Council will continue being an important agent for innovation, continuity, as well as supporting and protecting the traditions that bind us together. Many of us in the arts, the sciences, the humanities, in academia, the commercial sector, religious traditions, as well as all Hellenic communities, will continue our support for tradition, the rule of law, and our rich history”.

Dr. Menas Kafatos, who is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book “You are the Universe”, went on to say, “In my travels, book signings and lectures, I am amazed about the resilience of the Hellenic spirit. I have been honored and blessed to be the President and Chairman of the AHC Board for the past five years. The AHC was founded in 1974, initially under a different name. It will continue to exist because it fulfills vital roles and is popular with the community. I am sure that Jim’s leadership skills and integrity will energize our members and allow the Council to continue playing a significant role in advocating for the issues most important to the Hellenic-American community”.

Los Angeles, California – On Saturday, May 19, 2018, Professor Demetrios Liappas celebrated his retirement from the directorship of the Basil P. Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies at Loyola Marymount University.  At an elegant reception in a room with a breath-taking view of the Pacific Ocean and the Los Angeles basin, a gathering of former students, friends, supporters, and colleagues exchanged memories as Lambros Howard played traditional Greek music.

Many of the Center’s strongest, most loyal supporters attended, among them: Peter and Vivi Demopoulos, Cleo Andrews, Hope Berk, Dalia and Kip Miller, George and Tina Kolovos, Eleftheria and Ted Polychronis, Dr. Anatasios Chassiakos, Rosalind Halikis, and Peter and Caroline Caloyeras.  Several of the leading organizations for the Greek community of Southern California were represented by their leadership including the Hellenic University Club by the current President, Dr. Zafiris Gourgouliatos, The Federation of Greek Organizations of Southern California by Dr. Philip Trevezas, President, and the Greek Heritage Society by the current President, Shelly Papadopoulos and board member Anna Gianniotis.  After more than forty years of teaching and administration, Professor Liappas was passing the torch to Professor Christina Bogdanou, the current Director of the Center.

The gathering was blessed by Fr. John Bakas, Dean of St. Sophia Cathedral, who is also an Adjunct Professor of Theology at LMU, teaching courses in Greek Orthodoxy and Greek Orthodox Spirituality for the Center and the Department of Theology.  Fr. Bakas and Presbytera Bakas were joined at the reception by Fr. and Presbytera Michael Courey of St. Katherine’s in Redondo Beach. Another long-time supporter of the Center, the Honorable Andreas Kyprianides, Honorary Consul General of Cyprus, served as Master of Ceremonies.

In his remarks, he reminded the guests of the traumatic conditions under which the Center was born, the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus which galvanized the Greek community of Southern California and which energized Greek studies at LMU.  Demetrios Liappas, with Andreas Kyprianides and three others who were also present at the retirement party—Aris Anagnos, Dr. Jim Dimitriou, and Ted Polychronis—were among the original founders of the Save Cyprus Council which has evolved into the dynamic political action group, the American Hellenic Council.

Also in attendance were some of Professor Liappas’ family members who had flown in from the east coast and from Australia.  They were his sister Katy Christodouleas, her sons Drs. James and John Chrisodouleas, her daughter Dr. Tina Christodouleas Tabakovic, and their nephew, Apostolos Pinakidis.  Dr. James Christodouleas of Price Waterhouse Cooper, Australia, spoke of the family’s love for their brother and uncle.  Basil P. Caloyeras, whose father, Peter, first endowed the Center, added his words of appreciation for Professor Liappas’ achievements and renewed his pledge to support the work of the Center.  The Associate Dean of Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts at LMU, Dr. Molly Youngkin, talked about the importance of the instructional program of the Center in the academic mission of the university.

The Center offers a Minor in Modern Greek Studies, one of the very few institutions in the United States to do so, and also supports the mission of the university with a strong and vital summer abroad experience, the Odyssey Program in Greece.  Three former students of the Center, Antigoni Vasilopoulou ’15, Fotis Davlantis ’04, and Gabriel Courey ’09 gave moving tributes to the life-changing opportunities that Professor Liappas and the Center had provided them in their education.  Donna Gray, Director of Development, Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, thanked the many donors who were present and reminded us all that philanthropy is a Greek virtue.  The program ended with the Professor Liappas telling us of the history of the Basil P. Caloyeras Center for Modern Greek Studies and expressing his gratitude for all the years of support that so many in the Greek community have given the Center.  He was especially touched by the presence of Vasso Fischer, former President of the Hellenic University Club, Zoyë Fidler, founding President of the Greek Heritage Society and Aris Anagnos, one of the founders of the Save Cyprus Council and long-time supporter of social justice and generous supporter of the Center.

Los Angeles, CA – Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, traveled to Greece in September, just prior to her official trip to Armenia with Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ).

While in Greece, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard met with Greek Government officials and religious leaders, organized by the U.S. Embassy in Athens and the American Hellenic Council. This was the Congresswoman’s first trip to Greece since being elected to office in 2013, which allowed her the opportunity to see first-hand the ongoing humanitarian crisis facing the country, as well as the chance to discuss with Greek officials a large range of issues of mutual interest.

“The trip was planned, relatively, on short notice and I was only there for less than 48 hours, but we were able to get a lot done in that short period of time”, said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in an exclusive interview with AHC Executive Director, Ioannis Fidanakis, upon her return to the United States. The full text of which can be found below.

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