Athens, 4 October 2022

Maximos Charakopoulos meets with Philos Project: "The international community must condemn Turkish revisionism"

"Greece, as you are well aware, is faced with neighbouring Turkey’s crude revisionism; its administration is now using barbaric and fiery rhetoric together with flagrant threats of war, moreover questioning our country's very sovereignty. This is an unacceptable political stance which cannot remain unanswered by the international community." The above were emphasised by MP Dr Maximos Charakopoulos, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), addressing the members of the "Philos Project" organisation during their meeting at the Hellenic Parliament.

"Philos Project", which held its conference in Athens, October 1-3, aims to promote religious pluralism in the Middle East, with an emphasis on the protection of Christian communities protection.

The meeting was attended by Philos Project president and executive director Robert Nicholson, assistant professor at King's College in New York, deputy director Luke Moon, former business director of the "Foundation for Religion and Democracy", deputy director Mariam Wahba and Mr. Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American leadership council (HALC) - a national network of advocates & community leaders  advancing issues of Greek interest. IAO counselor Dr Kostas Mygdalis also attended the meeting.

Referring to Turkey’s stance, the IAO Head stressed that "it is unacceptable for this delusional and absurd rhetoric, emanating from false and unhistorical ideologies, such as neo-Ottomanism or the Blue Homeland, moreover 100 years after the Asia Minor Disaster,  to remain unanswered or avoid severe sanctions targeting both the Turkish economy but also its military machine".

Addressing "Philos Project" members, Mr Harakopoulos remarked, "we are well aware of your valuable contribution in this direction before US decision-making centres. Moreover, your concrete efforts and awareness campaign on Turkey's criminal behaviour in Greece and Cyprus, which demonstrates its contempt for international law. Hellenism is grateful for all these years of your activity".

Campaign for Hagia Sophia and Christians of the Middle East 

The Greek MP denounced all attempts to exploit religion, especially referring to Istanbul's Hagia Sophia conversion into a mosque in 2020, and briefed participants on the IAO international community awareness campaign. In his words, “we must not let this illegal act be forgotten. Because then the perpetrator thinks he can get away with anything, escalating such behaviors and acts of religious hatred. We therefore look forward to expanding the reach of this campaign as much as possible, and soon to the US as well."

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