Greek President’s Christmas Wishes to the Greek Diaspora

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou sent her wishes for Christmas and the New Year to the Greek diaspora and to all Greeks living abroad, whom she likened to “modern Odysseuses.”

Referring to the many challenges and consecutive international crises of recent years, President Sakellaropoulou has praised the Greeks of the diaspora for having moved forward, committed to the values of Hellenism.

She made mention of “the values of peaceful coexistence, dialogue and understanding in a multicultural environment [that] expanded as the values of democracy, equal opportunities, social justice, peace and egalitarianism, these are the values with which Greece is moving on the global stage.”

“You were the first, each one separately and all together, through your community organization and cohesion in the diaspora, you showed that tomorrow can be turned into a bright promise and a guarantee of self-fulfillment, as long as the path towards it is inspired by courage, determination, boldness, values,” she stated in her message.

Greece looks to its community abroad, is proud of it, and follows its members’ significant achievements in the arts and in the sciences, technology, and entrepreneurship, the Greek President asserted.

“You are an integral part of Hellenism, modern Odysseuses who crossed borders and seas, going through struggles and disappointments, but with your persistence and hard work transformed them into opportunities and developed them into triumphs,” Sakellaropoulou added.

Greeks living abroad experienced life as foreigners and enriched their identity without ever allowing their homeland’s memory to fade away and the ties to weaken, she continued, and these ties confirm their power these holidays, she concluded.

Greek diaspora around the world

According to the Hellenic Parliament, there are seven million people of Greek origin that live outside of the Greek borders, scattered across 140 countries throughout the globe.

The ad hoc Standing Committee on Greeks Abroad, an all-party institution which teams up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the World Council of Greeks Abroad, WHIA, and the General Secretariat of Hellenes Abroad, is assigned to building stronger relations between the Hellenic Parliament and the various Organizations of Greeks of the diaspora.

The countries with the most people of Greek descent outside of Greece are the US, Germany, Australia, Canada, the UK, and Albania.

The United States, in particular, is home to the largest Greek diaspora, with over three million Greek-Americans, mainly third or fourth generation immigrants, residing in the country.