Iraklio, 18 July 2009
Mr. President of the Republic,
Dear Compatriots,
It is a great pleasure to be here with you tonight, among the distinguished guests of the Pancretan Association, here in beautiful Crete. I want you to know that as a person who holds Crete warm in her heart, I am very glad to find the same sentiment and the same pride in the members of the Association.
The PAA has served our country all these years with dynamism, confidence and great dedication to its work. I have no doubt whatsoever that the unswerving goal of every effort of the PAA and its members is to endow, in the end, the young Cretans of America with the necessary means to seize every opportunity in their place of residence. That is why I do everything in my power to support their extensive philanthropic, cultural and social work, monitoring the PAA’s progress with interest, love and pride. My heartfelt thanks to all those Greeks for their invaluable contribution to our land, to Crete, to Greece.
Dear Friends,
Tonight’s meeting is of particular importance to all of us. This year, the Pancretan Association of America, at a critical turn in our country’s international course, chose to honour the contribution of our country’s first citizen. In the name of a great Greek politician, Eleftherios Venizelos, who succeeded – through his diplomatic abilities and his political acumen – in radically changing Greece’s image, the PAA is today awarding the Venizelos Prize to the President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Karolos Papoulias. A politician from Ipiros who has close ties to Crete, and who has supported the Cretans throughout his political career. A man who for many years, through his political work, exerted a constant influence, as Foreign Minister, on our country’s foreign policy. Today, as the President of the Hellenic Republic, he is a worthy representative of the people and the land. His virtues and abilities are appreciated by all Greek citizens.
For all of us, Karolos Papoulias is above all a powerful voice of our political system. For all these years of work, we express our heartfelt gratitude, and this is borne out in the awarding of the PAA’s Venizelos Prize.
Mr. President of the Republic,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I raise my glass and wish everyone health and prosperity.