Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis honored prominent Greek Americans for their contributions to the community during a reception in Astoria on September 24.
Mike Manatos, Executive Director of the Washington OXI Day Foundation, gave the welcoming remarks, referring to Mitsotakis’ historic speech at the joint session of Congress in 2022.
NHS Chairman and THI Board member Drake Behrakis who introduced the Prime Minister thanked him for taking the time out of his busy schedule during UN Week to join the community members for the event and congratulated the Prime Minister for receiving the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award the day before.
He also referred to the Prime Minister’s historic speech in 2022, “a moment of immense pride for all of us and a moment that we’ll all cherish forever, which showcased your stature as a leader of the Greek nation, as a key architect of the strong ties between the United States and Greece, a connection that makes us all very proud as Greek-Americans.”
“Under your leadership and vision, Greece has become and will remain a pillar of stability,” Behrakis noted. “Mr. Prime Minister we’ve always considered you one of our own, we know how much you appreciate and take pride in the generations of Greek-Americans, their diverse contributions in the U.S. and their vital role as a bridge between our nations and our people.”
Mitsotakis thanked both Manatos and Behrakis for their words of introduction, noting that “no visit to New York is complete without a gathering of the dynamic Greek-American community of this wonderful city.”
Mitsotakis hails the contribution of the Greek Americans
He continued: “As Drake said, as a very stable and robust bridge between our two countries, today is another opportunity to honor distinguished members of the Greek-American community, I place particular emphasis on these events because I feel it is my obligation, our obligation, to recognize the very special work that is being done in the Greek-American community. You keep these strong bonds alive and powerful at a time when the world is faced with very complicated global challenges.”
The Greek PM made special reference to the US-Greece strong relationship and added: “We are working to make this relationship as strong as it can possibly be and I know we have elections in the United States and I can assure you that whoever is elected, whoever the American people choose to represent them in the highest office, this relationship will go from strength to strength because it is in the mutual interest of our two countries to do so.”
Mike Manatos then introduced the honorees receiving one of Greece’s highest honors, the Commander of the Order of the Phoenix which Mitsotakis presented to ECOS President and CEO Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, former President of American University Sylvia Mathews Burwell, and Founder and President of the Washington OXI Day Foundation Andrew E. Manatos.
