President Sakellaropoulou Visits the Greek Community in Uruguay

The President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou met members of the vibrant Greek community of Uruguay during her official visit to the country at the invitation of President Luis Lacalle Pou.

It is the first visit of the President of the Hellenic Republic to Uruguay. Uruguay is a country of philhellenes. Ancient Greece features prominently in the South American country.

Greek history holds an important place in Uruguay’s educational system, and visitors will come across numerous streets with Greek names in Montevideo, as well as statues of Greek philosophers, a central square called Greece and another named Athens.

Sakellaropoulou visited the offices of the historic Greek community of Montevideo, where President Panagiotis Hatzirallis, Vice President Pavlos Augustis and many expatriates welcomed her.

After the visit to the Greek Orthodox Church of Agios Nikolaos with the Metropolitan of Buenos Aires Iosif, and the guided tour of the Community’s premises, Sakellaropoulou hailed the contribution of the Greek diaspora in the South American country.

“From the beginning of the 20th century, when a large wave of Greek immigrants was recorded in Uruguay, until today, you continue to contribute, with your hard work and perseverance, to the progress of your new homeland, being a dynamic part of it.

“Your settlement here is connected with difficult times of Hellenism since many of your ancestors immigrated during the years of the Asia Minor disaster, but also after the Second World War and the fratricidal heartbreak that followed,” the Greek president said.

“You are our worthy ambassadors, you highlight our cultural heritage and keep the flame of Hellenism unquenchable. Greece is watching your progress with pride,” she added.

Sakellaropoulou visited the mural of Laskarina Bouboulina, the heroic figure from the Greek War of Independence, which graces the streets of Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay.

The painting of the heroine of the Greek Revolution is found at the entrance of the Tsakos Industrias Navales shipyard.

Sakellaropoulou at the Maria Tsakos Foundation in Uruguay

Sakellaropoulou also visited the Maria Tsakos Foundation, where she was welcomed by Panagiotis Tsakos who briefed her on the work of the foundation. She described the Foundation as “little Greece” founded in Montevideo, almost five decades ago, by Captain Panagiotis Tsakos.

The Maria Tsakos Fundacion founded in Montevideo in March 1978 inspired by the love of Uruguayans for the Hellenic spirit and culture. The Foundation developed into a principal center for teaching the Greek language and promoting Hellenic culture in the other side of the World, under the inspirational leadership of the late Maria Tsakos, Captain Tsakos’ daughter.

“Your institution, with its great work for the learning of the Greek language and the dissemination of the ancient and modern Greek culture, fulfills a national mission by contributing to the strengthening of the feeling of philhellenism that strongly possesses the Uruguayans,” she said.

“Many come every year to this precious cradle of Hellenism to learn our language and culture…The heart of Greece beats in Montevideo and makes us proud of the cultural ties forged between the two peoples,” she added.

Related: Ex-President of Uruguay: Why We Are So Close to Greece