2008 Press Releases
Ambassador Revisits Ileia Prefecture
Athens (November 19, 2008) -- Ambassador Daniel V. Speckhard revisited the Prefecture of Ileia on Tuesday, November 18, and participated in a ceremony at the Pyrgos Fire Station where the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) offered 255 fire shelters to the local Fire Service. Also present at the ceremony were Ileia New Democracy Member of Parliament
Ms. Krinio Kanellopoulou, Pyrgos Prefect Mr. Haralambos Kafyras, Pyrgos Fire Service Commander Theodoros Kotsonis, and local government officials.
Ambassador Speckhard expressed his strong feelings for Ileia, which was the first area outside of Attica that he visited after his arrival in Greece. He highlighted the U.S. government’s assistance program in Greece, stressing the importance of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America as an important link between the two countries, as well as the IOCC’s valuable and extensive contribution to the local victims of the devastating wildfires of the summer of 2007.
“Not only Greek-Americans, but all Americans have warm feelings for Greece. In addition to the three million dollars that the Greek-Americans gave after the wildfires,” the Ambassador said, “two million dollars came from the rest of the American people. And I think it is this public-private partnership that is so special in terms of how the United States is reaching out. Sometimes it’s the government, sometimes it’s American citizens who do what they are called upon to do.”