Archbishop Anastasios of Albania passes away

By Constantine Capsaskis

Newsletter Editor

Welcome to the weekly round-up of news by Kathimerini English Edition. Archbishop Anastasios of Albania passed away in Athens this week at the age of 95.

Anastasios was instrumental in reviving Albania’s Orthodox Church following the fall at the end of the Cold War of the country’s communist regime which had banned all forms of religious practice for decades and expropriated all ecclesiastic property. It is worth noting that according to a 2023 census Orthodox believers in Albania comprise approximately 7% of the country’s population.

Anastasios was elected as the head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church in 1992 and continued to serve in the role for the next 33 years. During his tenure, Anastasios oversaw the construction of approximately 150 new temples, while also restoring 60 churches, monasteries and cultural monuments.? Additionally, a further 250 ecclesiastical buildings were reconstructed.

But Anastasios is best remembered for his focus on interfaith dialogue, while advocating for the Orthodox Archbishopric to be actively involved in causes across religious faiths with a social impact including health care and education.

“A leading personality who combined theological reflection with the practice of tireless service”, said President Katerina Sakellaropoulou in her tribute to the late Archbishop, adding that “his interest in the progress of Albanian society as a whole without religious or racial discrimination, have left indelible traces in the hearts of the people he met, supported and loved”.

“He was both a spiritual leader and an active servant of mankind and its rights”, stated Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

With bilateral relations between Greece and Albania having been rocked by the case of, now, Greek MEP Fredi Beleri, it will be interesting to see whether the Albanian government, who has traditionally viewed the Orthodox Church as part of Greece’s diplomatic efforts in the region, will attempt to involve itself in the election of Anastasios’ successor.

Spotlight

• Prime Minister of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski indicated this week that his government does not consider the naming dispute between his country and Greece resolved. “Our issue is not settled”, he said characteristically. The Greek Foreign Ministry decried the statement as a “provocation”, adding that Mickoski was “attempting to bring back to the fore an issue that has been resolved, as we know, finally and irrevocably”. The Greek statement also stood on the fact that adherence to the 2018 Prespa Agreement was crucial both for bilateral relations between the two countries, but also an important prerequisite of North Macedonia’s possible future European Union accession. Mickoski fired back following Greece’s criticism, emphasizing the divergence of the two countries since the victory of his nationalist party earlier this year.
• Greece faces a significant labor shortage over the next years which threatens to derail the country’s growth projections, with the Migration and Asylum Ministry set to introduce a raft of new measures to increase the available workforce by over 200,000 people over the next five years. “It is certain that we will need migrants to cover the shortages”, noted a government official to Kathimerini, but emphasized that the country’s labor requirements will not be met simply by increased migration. Among the measures considered is automating the work permit application process, while also extending the validity of such permits by two years (for a total of five). The government is also considering reviewing its existing bilateral deals on the subject with Egypt and Bangladesh, as they have currently failed to meet their targets. Indicatively, out of the 5,000 Bangladeshi workers that the agreement foresaw, only 180 have arrived in Greece.

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OPINION

The value of the Greek American community

By Tom Ellis

Editor-in-Chief, Kathimerini English Edition

During his recent trip to the US, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias had the opportunity to highlight the role of Greek Americans as well as the importance of the ongoing close cooperation between the Greek and Jewish communities in America.

In that context he also noted the importance of the strategic cooperation 3+1 scheme which offers Greece, Cyprus and Israel, with the active support of the US, the ability to play their role as a factor of stability in the East Med.

In an event organized by the Hellenic American Leadership Council and?the American Jewish Committee,?to honor the latter’s former CEO, David Harris, Dendias, who is the first member of the Greek government to visit the US after the Trump Administration came to power, noted how the Jewish American and Greek American communities have come even closer during the last years, united not only by the same values and democratic principles, but also by their common aims in the volatile region of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Athens and Nicosia enter the strategic equation with a significant added value in geopolitical and economic terms, a fact recently confirmed by?the increased interest and active engagement of US energy giants ExxonMobil and Chevron in exploration efforts offshore Greece and Cyprus.

An important point for the Administration when dealing with Greek Americans is the realization that the latter acting as a bridge between the US and Greece and Cyprus, are promoting America’s interests;?that is how their role should be assessed by?Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security advisor Michael Waltz.

The defence minister’s visit to Chicago highlights another aspect pertaining to the Greek American community, which is its strong presence all over America.

The US is not just Washington or even New York. And Greek Americans, from professionals and businesspeople to scientists and politicians are having a significant impact across the country.

Candidates of both parties of Greek descent get elected in many different regions, from California to New Hampshire and from Florida to Nevada, both on the local and national levels. And they are often part of administrations; at present we have the exemplary cases of Michael Rigas nominated for deputy Secretary of State, and Michael Kratsios as the President’s science advisor and head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

It is imperative that this presence, and the power that comes with it, are utilized wisely,?through the necessary planning and coordination,?to the benefit of the community itself, as well as Hellenism as a whole.

CHART OF THE WEEK

The private healthcare sector has continued to grow in recent years, recording a 5.4% year-on-year growth rate in 2023 and is projected to have grown by 7.4% in 2024. The total turnover of the sector is projected to be 2.16 billion euros in 2024, having crossed the 2-billion-euro threshold last year for the first time. The majority of the turnover (1.3 billion euros) was recorded at private clinics, with maternity hospitals (340 million euros) and diagnostic facilities (545 million euros) contributing the rest. Turnover at private clinics, which previously peaked in 2012 at 1.2 billion euros of turnover, has steadily been climbing since 2016. However, the continued structural problems of the National Health System and the concentrated demand that was fuelled by the pandemic have helped to boost revenues.

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ECONOMY IN A NUTSHELL

1. “The Athens Exchange (ATHEX) general index closed at 1,544.13 points, up 1.28% from last week.”
2. “The disposable income of Greek households increased by 7.3% in the third quarter of 2024, growing at a faster rate than consumer spending for the first time in a year. Specifically, it stood at 43.46 billion euros in Q3, from 40.50 billion in Q2.”
3. “The Piraeus Port Authority is set to be one of the main winners of the ceasefire by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. With Piraeus recording an overall decline in the volume of containers it handled last year (4.8 million in 2024 from 5.1 million in 2023), the reopening of the Red Sea and Suez Canal to international shipping will prove beneficial.”

WHAT'S ON THE AGENDA

27/01/2025

Foreign Affairs Council: European Union foreign ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss, among other topics, the future of EU-US relations and the latest developments in Syria. Greek FM George Gerapetritis is set to visit the latter country in the near future.

27/01/2025

Funeral of Domazos: Greek soccer legend Mimis Domazos, who captained Panathinaikos to the 1971 European Cup final, will be laid to rest on Monday.

31/01/202

Presidential Election: The Hellenic Parliament will hold a second round of voting to confirm Konstantinos Tasoulas as the next President of the Hellenic Republic, with the process likely to go on to at least two further rounds.

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