The treasurer of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) and President of the Federation of Greek Communities in Germany, Mr. Konstantinos Dimitriou makes reference in the role that the Greek Diaspora should take over in his article for the Magazine “Cultural Diplomacy”.

On his article entitled “Tangible results are what we seek. A modernization of the strategies on making better use of the Greek Diaspora must be achieved”, Mr. Dimitriou emphasizes on the need for an upgrade and modernization on a qualitative basis, of the efforts which are being made for the raising the awareness of the societies whereby Hellenes abroad reside, but also for a better use of the Hellenic dynamics abroad and an establishment of a mutually beneficially relationship with the Hellenic centre.

The following text is the published article:

“Tangible results are what we seek. A modernization of the strategies on making better use of the Greek Diaspora must be achieved”

Many things have been stated by officials, as well as written, on the role of the Hellenic Diaspora in the promotion of subjects of Greek interest, in the countries whereby Hellenes reside, especially emphasizing on our national issues such as the Cypriot issue, Greek-Turkish relations, the name of FYROM, the Ecumenical Patriarchate etc.

The question is, however, at what level the dynamics which are being developed by the Greek Diaspora recently have been sufficiently exploited and which moves must be made so that we can become more effective.

Even today, we speak of a Greek Diaspora of “national crises” which through the so- called lobbies, does its best to contribute and empower the Metropolitan Centres of Greece and Cyprus. On our days, I believe that the role of the Hellenic Diaspora and especially of its organized structures is to focus on establishing the right conditions for our country, especially with regards to the field of information.

The main aim remains the qualitative upgrade and an update on our efforts for raising awareness and providing information properly, in order to enlighten the societies within which we reside. We must restore the focus on the Greek national issues.

I will specifically make reference to Europe, whereby we can detect an interesting rate of mobility which must be exploited. More and more Greeks and Cypriots, especially in Great Britain, are participating in decision- making bodies. A prime example is the European Network of Elected Greeks in Local Authorities Abroad, which is comprised of more that 250 mayors and town councilors of Greek origins. There is also a smaller number of Hellenes who are actively participating in politics abroad.

They are all open to new and different things and they are capable of making functional interventions. Furthermore, the Hellenic Diaspora holds solid structures of collective bodies (such as Federations, communities, cultural bodies, scientific associations and so on) which have a lot to offer towards the establishment of good relations between the countries they reside and Greece.

Of course, the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE), which is expected to fully respond to its constitutional role and contribute in putting the dynamics of Greeks Abroad into use, which is something that unfortunately, has not been achieved until today, to a desirable level. This is where a better coordination of all the aforementioned forces is needed, in collaboration with the Greek State.

Beyond the decision making centres and bodies, our greatest “weapon” are the citizens of the countries we live in. Up until today, the level of interest of the European common opinion on issues of interest to our country is pretty low to non-existent.

Therefore, our aim remains to modernize our promotional strategies on Hellenic national issues. This can be achieved not only through making use of the world wide Hellenic network, but also through making plans which will be incorporating the current situation and data. Civilisation, tourism, even sports can and must serve our national interest, since we still have a lot to give, especially in the aforementioned fields.

It is imperative to coordinate our activities and empower our extroversion. There is no point in organizing events on raising awareness on Cypriot issues and address them to Greeks and Cypriots. We must turn to the citizens of the countries where we live, by making use of new means of communication and information. We must mainly associate our problems along with the priorities of Europe. For example 9 out of 10 Europeans, below the age of 50, are not aware of the Cypriot issue and are not willing to get to know more about it unless we motivate their interest.

Speaking of the role of the Hellenic Diaspora, with regards to national issue, I will make reference to another important dimension of exploiting the concentrated knowledge, carried by members of our Diaspora who do exceptionally well in fields of science, politics, business, arts and education etc.

Even though, during the past years, some steps have been taken towards that direction, I personally think that a more targeted “openness” towards the Diaspora can only be of advantage to Greece of today, as it will serve the elevation of our catholicity.

Another interesting factor towards this direction, not only with regards to making use of Hellenic dynamics abroad, but also establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with the Hellenic centre, is the field of economics. Thousands of Hellenic communities world-wide – which are not only facing problems but also offering new opportunities, form a unique potential network of promotion of Hellenic financial interests.

Ranging from the real estate market to the promotion of agricultural products, these Hellenic organizations are national communication agents with countries abroad, which must not be left unexploited.

Konstantinos Dimitriou
SAE Treasurer, President of OEK Germany

Republished from the SAE website