Samaras Visits St. Dimitrios of Astoria, New York
- Written by jo.daril
Translation By Lisa Darilis
Greek Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, was welcomed with great warmth by the students, teachers, administration, and parents of the school of St. Demetrios in Astoria, Queens, NY.
One of the students, Vasiliki Tsagouri, presented Mr. Samaras with a bouquet of roses and emotionally expressed to him how Greeceʼs pain will be put behind them and smiles will once again be restored to the country.
Following this warm welcome, Mr. Samaras proceeded into the school building, were he was received in a similar fashion as he experienced a day earlier at St. Nicholas,by the president of the St. Demetrios School Board, Mr. Nikos Andriotis. Mr. .Andriotis gave a brief speech, which touched on the recent arrests of the chief members of the Golden Dawn Party in Greece, who preach against anything that isnʼt Greek. Mr. Andriotis expressed his certainty that there will decisively be an end to this issue.
The Prime Minister himself, then gave a speech where he congratulated Mr. Andriotis, saying that he stands out as one of those truly seeking progress, and separates from those who call themselves saviors, while spreading ideas that have nothing to do with Greece.
Samaras again expressed his optimism for the future of Greece, stressing that is is experiencing a new chapter in development and dynamism. Samaras invited parents to visit Greece with their children, and also for those who have the strength to invest in the country. Samaras stated “The Greek youth is the greatest investment and the greatest hope. The pain we are experiencing in Greece, as Vasiliki the student brought up, will
come to pass and smiles will once again be restored. Hellenism was aways generous and today we received courage from you. May you always have strength.” he concluded. He later signed the schoolʼs guest book and attended the show the students presented especially for him.
Upon departing from the school, Mr. Samaras took some questions for our station, NGTV. He couldnʼt hold back how satisfied he was with not only what he saw at the school of St. Demetrios in Astoria, but with the whole Greek American community in general.
He stated to us “These are moments are emotional, for these children are the future of Hellenism; they are the dynamic of the Greek diaspora and are the tear of joy one has when with them, because they are children of Greece. They are dynamic, joyful, and they are ready to be scholars soon, and, on top of it all, they donʼt just have a basic knowledge of Greece, but thanks to their wonderful teachers, they have a deep one. That makes a big difference. “
More detailed information to follow at NGTVʼs broadcast tonight (6:30 pm, 9:30 pm).
