Former US president Barack Obama has reportedly arrived in Greece where he is scheduled to participate in an international conference held in Athens next week.
Reports in the Greek media say that Obama is currently on the island of Antiparos where he is being hosted by his pal Tom Hanks. The Oscar-winning actor and his Greek wife Rita Wilson are regular visitors to the Greek island where they own a holiday home.
Antiparos may not be the most glamorous of the Cyclades group of Greek islands, compared to Mykonos or Santorini– but it still attracts Hollywood stars and celebrities every summer.
Hanks has had a vacation with Barack and Michelle Obama before. He discussed his 2017 infamous vacation to French Polynesia along with the former Presidential couple, Bruce Springsteen, Oprah, and others saying it was “off the scale fantastic.”
Of the attention-grabbing vacation Hanks joked, “Both Oprah and I were really pissed off because, is this where we are in the world? Is this what’s going on with social media that Oprah and I cannot go on a billionaire’s boat to Tahiti with a former president of the United States and not keep it secret for God’s sake?”
Obama to speak in a major conference in Athens, Greece
Obama’s itinerary remains a mystery until early next week. On Monday, however, he is expected in Athens where he will participate in this year’s SNF Nostos Conference (June 21-23), organized by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
Obama is visiting Athens as part of the Obama Foundation Leaders program, which includes 105 emerging change-makers from Africa, Asia-Pacific and Europe participating in the program, representing 75 nations and territories.
They will meet with the former President in the Greek capital. The convening will mark the culmination of the six-month program.
He will join SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos for a keynote conversation focused on how to strengthen democratic culture and the importance of investing in the next generation of leaders.
Obama visited Greece in 2016
Obama is returning to the stage at the Greek National Opera’s Stavros Niarchos Hall, where In 2016, during his last international trip while in office, he delivered a stirring, memorable speech.
During that visit, Barack Obama praised the birthplace of democracy and the cradle of Western Civilization by posting a video on the White House Twitter account.
The former U.S. President appeared with the Parthenon in the background saying that, “One of the great joys being a president is the ability to travel, get to know cultures and meet people. This is important not only for our national security but to also understand ourselves.”
“We have the Parthenon behind us and it was here in Athens that ideas such as democracy and the notions of citizenship and the rule of law began to develop,” Obama says.
Watch the video below:
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