Greek Ambassador Speaks on Campus

Among the stops for Greek ambassador Alexandros P. Mallias before his speech in the Haymarket Theatre in Squires Student Center Tuesday was the memorial of the Apr. 16 victims.

So when it came time to speak about the troubles in Kosovo, about Turkey’s bid for entrance into the European Union, about how Greece and the United States need to work together in international affairs, he made sure to begin it with a simple, unifying message.

“My visit here is symbolism,” Mallias said. “It is one of compassion and one of solidarity.”

At the heart of Mallias’s speech, he went on to say, were the values he thought that the world, not just the U.S. and Greece, would need to embrace in the growing reality of globalization. Values that he thought needed growing.

And though he did not mention Apr.16 directly in his speech, Mallias talked after the speech about how that event reflected both the values that he thinks the world needs to embrace more.

“I definitely think in the 21st century, symmetry is important,” Mallias said. “It is important for globalization, for the economy, for global warming, for life.”

Mallias’s speech, called “Greek-U.S. Strategic Partnerships in Southeastern Europe and Beyond,” was organized by Outreach and International Affairs and the department of foreign languages and literatures. John Dooley, vice provost for Outreach, introduced Mallias.

“It is truly a privilege to have [Millias] with us today,” Dooley said in his introduction.

As Mallias went into the meat of his speech, he connected many of today’s important issues with what he called “Greek values.” Values that he said did not currently have a large enough place in the world as they should. One of those values, he said, was symmetry, and how the growing divide between rich and poor undermines this value.

“Increasing the gap between poverty and wealth,” Mallias said. “Do we feel content as the rich are getting wealthier, and the poor are increasingly becoming poorer?”

The ambassador also spent much time explaining the successes of Greece. He mentioned Greece’s economy and how it has risen due to foreign investments.

“Greece is an economic miracle,” Mallias said. “Following the Second World War, within 60 years, Greece became a success story.”

Although Mallias had to deliver his speech to a more-than-half-empty Haymarket Theatre, Maria Hatzios, professor of foreign languages, considered the speech a success because it still reached the ears of not only students and professors interested in political science, but also people in Greek organizations from Richmond and other parts of Virginia.

Originally from Greece, Hatzios started teaching at Virginia Tech in 1979. Since then, she has taught at Radford University and then returned to Tech, and she said the awareness of global issues on both campuses is lacking. She hoped the speech would help open the eyes of those who attended.

“Some at Virginia Tech are more aware of global issues vs. Radford, but still I don’t think are aware as they should have been,” Hatzios said. “Everything is so much impacted everyone, so we should be more aware of what’s going on”

Hatzios helped initiate the speech when, following Apr. 16, she held a reception at her home in memory of the victims. Among her guests was Constantinos Alexandris, consul of the Greek embacy.

“He said that it would be nice if ambassador could visit some times, and said he was very serious, so he wanted to touch basis with the community here,” Hatzios said.

Mallias took questions from the audience after his speech. People brought up topics such as Iran’s nuclear weapons (Mallias said Greece is opposed to Iran possessing nuclear weapons) and how Greece handles terrorist organizations.

After all of these questions on these complicated affairs, Dooley tried to lighten the mood by asking Mallias what a typical day is like for him as ambassador in the U.S. Mallias’s response, predictably, was detailed.

“A typical day, well, first is to represent the oldest democracy in the world to the most powerful democracy. Second, to represent Greece to Greeks in America and Greek-Americans. Third, to know this great country was founded on principles and values that are also Greek.”

Above all, it’s these principles and values that Mallias does not want the world to forget in the wake of Apr. 16 or any other tragic event.

“We are here in Virginia’s campus to show compassion, solidarity, to show there is always a day after,” Mallias said after the speech.