FRIDAY 9 AUGUST 2013 . No 2 . WEEKLY NEWSPAPER . GREECE IN ENGLISH . www,athensviews,g( .

I
Wildfires ragedin the forested outskirts ofthe capital this week,
burning about 10 homes in the Marathonas and Varibobi
areas north of 1\
8 I. \
i
i
'
1 0 ATHENS VIEWS
INTERVIEW
R
Greek-Americans:
"We have the best of both worlds"
Ahepa -s executive
director urges the
government
to be sincere in
enacting the
bureaucratic changes
neededto ease the
facilitation of
investment
By Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou
W
hile walking
down 14th
. street in Wash
ington, DC one
always sees a large crowd hud
dled between Constitution and
Independence Avenue. That is
the point where one can best
admire the glory of the capital
of the United States. On one
side lies the US Capitol build
ing, a 1atge, white sandstone
building that is surrounded by
pillars similar to those holding
up the Parthenon. The dome
on the central part of the build
ing was inspired by the Paris
Pantheon. On the other side,
standing on a rise, is the glori
ous Washington Monument,
surrounded by star-spangled
banners that furl and unfurl de
spite the dry Washingtonian
weather. Behind the monu
ment, one can faintly see the
Lincoln Memorial, a creation
that mirrors a classic Greek
of Washington on his way to
meet with US President Barak
Obama. The Significance of his
visit has sparked a debate
about the agenda the two lead
ers have in mind in terms of
Greek-American relations. From
a political standpoint, the .two
countries have cooperated and
coordinated on many levels in
cluding security, military and
anti-terrorism issues. But Mos
saidis believes that this meeting
serves another purpose: pub
licity.
"When a world leader visits the
president of the United States,
they do it purely for the pres
tige," he explains. He believes
that the perception is far more
important than anything else.
. "Prime Minister Samaras is
showing the Greek citizenry, as
well as Greek allies and ene
mies, that he is on a somewhat
equal footing with President
Obama. It's purely symbolic
more than anything else, be
cause it reinforces his worthi
ness to the Greek people and
to other leaders."
From the US point of view,
Mossaidis admits that there is
a geographic importance to
Greece that doesn't go unno
ticed . Greece, located on a
pathway to Europe, the
Mediterranean and Asia, has al
ways been a hotbed in the re
gion, especially at a time when
countries in the Middle East and
North Africa are experiencing
revolutionary turmoil. "Greece
is one hour away from Syria,
Libya, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey ...
here, one hour from Washing
tf they
do wh
do, th
argue

faster
for an'
long n
States
Althou
edges
start 0
InvestJ
negoti
vestm
the U.:
tentiajl
reserv
bene1t

beyon
Spain
ferring
memb

one 51
entire
help tt
That's
if it ac
tion, i
Greeo
atic," I
Mosse
ton you are in Baltimore," Mos
saidis jokes. With its Western
democratic regime, Greece be
comes the ultimate place where
the United States can look to
increase its presence in the re
gion.
Mossaidis hopes that this meet
ing will generate plans for direct
US-Greece investment and
trade opportunities but ac
knowledges that this will require
cooperation from both sides.
"The US must be sincere in
making opportunities available
and Greece must be sincere in
enacting the bureaucratic
changes needed to ease the fa
cilitation of investment in
Greece," he observes.
But perhaps one of the most
important issues that need to
be discussed during Samaras'
visit is whether Obama will be
persuaded to push the Euro
pean Union to ease its austerity
measures, in order to help
struggling European countries
like Greece get out of their crisis
in a more timely manner. Some
Greek
impos

referril
to ace
out a'
rather
pingo
"Thee:
selves
ures aJ
to ma
So wi
class
model
businl

Ahepa executive
director urges the
government
to be sincere in
enacting the
bureaucratic changes
needed to ease the
facilitation of
investment
By Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou
W
hile walking
down 14th
street in Wash
ington, DC one
always sees a large crowd hud
dled between Constitution and
Independence Avenue. That is
the point where one can best
admire the glory of the capital
of the United States. On one
side lies the US Capitol build
ing, a large, white sandstone
building that is surrounded by
pillars similar to those holding
up the Parthenon. The dome
on the central part of the build
ing was inspired by the Paris
Pantheon. On the other side,
standing on a rise, is the glori
ous Washington Monument,
surrounded by star-spangled
banners that furl and unfurl de
spite the dry Washingtonian
weather. Behind the monu
ment, one can faintly see the
Lincoln Memorial , a creation
that mirrors a classic Greek
temple, surrounded by classic
Doric sandstone pillars.
"You can't tell me that you don't
think of Athens," says Basil
Mossaidis, who has been walk
ing these streets for years. "It's
not by accident," he adds.
Mossaidis is the executive di
rector of the American Hellenic
Educational Progressive Asso
ciation (AHEPA) , a service or
ganization that prqmotes and
preserves Greek identity in the
United States.
On August 8, Greek Prime Min
ister Antonis Samaras will be
the one traversing the streets
of Washington on his way to
meet with US President Barak
Obama. The significance of his
visit has sparked a debate
about the agenda the two lead
ers have in mind in terms of
Greek-American relations. From
a political standpoint, the two
countries have cooperated and
coordinated on many levels in
cluding security, military and
anti-terrorism issues. But Mos
saidis believes that this meeting
serves another purpose: pub
licity.
"When a world leader visits the
president of the United States,
they do it purely for the pres
tige," he explains. He believes
that the perception is far more
important than anything else.
" Prime Minister Samaras is
showing the Greek citizenry, as
well as Greek allies and ene
mies, that he is on a somewhat
equal footing with President
Obama. It's purely symbolic
more than anything else, be
cause it reinforces his worthi
ness to the Greek people and
to other leaders."
From .the US point of view,
Mossaidis admits that there is
a geographic importance to
Greece that doesn't go unno
ticed. Greece, located on a
pathway to Europe, the
Mediterranean and Asia, has al
ways been a hotbed in the re
gion, especially at a time when
countries in the Middle East and
North Africa are experiencing
revolutionary turmoil. "Greece
is one hour away from Syria,
Libya, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey ...
here, one hour from Washing
ton you are in Baltimore," Mos
said is jokes. With its Western
democratic regime, Greece be
comes the ultimate place where
the United States can look to
increase its presence in the re
gion.
Mossaidis hopes that this meet
ing will generate plans for direct
US-Greece investment and
. trade opportunities but ac
knowledges that this will require
cooperation from both sides.
"The US must be sincere in
making opportunities available
and Greece must be sincere in
enacting the bureaucratic
changes needed to ease the fa
cilitation of investment in
Greece," he observes.
But perhaps one of the most
important issues that need to
be discussed during Samaras'
visit is whether Obama will be
persuaded to push the Euro
pean Union to ease its austerity
measures, in order to help
struggling European countries
like Greece get out of their crisis
in a more timely manner. Some
IUlou
a1king
14th
Mlsh
:; one
:thud
In and
ihat is
, best
:apital
none
build
!stone
lad by
Dlding
dome
ild
don't
Basil
walk
. "It's
of Washington on his way to
meet with US President Barak
Obama. The significance of his
visit has sparked a debate
about the agenda the two lead
ers have in mind in terms of
Greek-American relations. From
a political standpoint, the .two
countries have cooperated and
coordinated on many levels in
cluding security, military and
anti-terrorism issues. But Mos
saidis believe? that this meeting
;?'.o ,-......,.. , "'!It
serves another purpose: pub
licity.
"When a world leader visits the
president of the United States,
they do it purely for the pres
tige," he explains. He believes
that the perception is far more
important than anything else.
"Prime Minister Samaras is
showing the Greek citizenry, as
well as Greek allies and ene
mies, that he is on a somewhat
equal footing with President
Obama. It's purely symbolic
more than anything else, be
cause it reinforces his worthi
ness to the Greek people and
to other leaders."
From the US point of view,
Mossaidis admits that there is
a geographic importance to
Greece that doesn't go unno
ticed. Greece, located on a
pathway to Europe, the
Mediterranean and Asia, has al
ways been a hotbed in the re
gion, especially at a time when
countries in the Middle East and
North Africa are experiencing
revolutionary turmoil. "Greece
is one hour away from Syria,
Libya, Israel, Cyprus, Turkey ...
here, one hour from Washing
ton you are in Baltimore," Mos
saidis jokes. With its Western
democratic regime, Greece be
comes the ultimate place where
the United States can look to
increase its presence in the re
gion.
Mossaidis hopes that this meet
ing will generate plans for direct
US-Greece investment and
trade opportunities but ac
knowledges that this will require
cooperation from both sides.
"The US must be sincere in
making opportunities available
and Greece must be sincere in
enacting the bureaucratic
changes needed to ease the fa
cilitation of investment in
Greece," he observes.
But perhaps one of the most
important issues that need to
be discussed during Samaras'
visit is whether Obama will be
persuaded to push the Euro
pean Union to ease its austerity
measures, in order to help
struggling European countries
like Greece get out of their crisis
in a more timely manner. Some
argue that less austerity could
stabilise the European economy
faster and would be beneficial
for any global economy in the
long run, including the United
States.
Although Mossaidis acknowl
edges the importance of the
start of Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership (T-TIP)
negotiations, a trade and in
vestment agreement between
the U.S. and EU that could po
tentially help Greece, he still has
reservations about its direct
benefit to Greece's economy.
"Europe's dysfunction goes far
beyond the crisis in Greece,
Spain of Portugal ," he says, re
ferring to the isolation of EU
member-states when a crisis
breaks out. "In the U.S., when
one state has a problem, the
entire federal republic rushes to
help that state out of its crisis.
That's not how the EU works ...
if it acted with more coopera
tion, it wouldn't matter that
Greece's economy is problem
atic," he adds.
Mossaidis goes on to call the
Greek austerity measures "self
imposed". He explains that
there were options on the table,
referring to Greece's decision
to accept austerity and figure
out a way to make ends meet,
rather than saying no and drop
ping out of the EU.
"The Greeks took it upon them
selves to accept those meas
ures and figure out how it's best
to make it work," he explains.
So what ' now? "The middle
class working citizens need to
modernise the way they do
business; if every single tax
paying citizen pays their taxes,
if they fill out the paperwork and
do what they are supposed to
do, things will get better," he
believes, adding that the current
struggle is necessary in the
overall improvement of the
Greek nation. "Yes, there's more
unemployment, there's more
homelessness but these are
necessary steps on to better
days," he says.
Greek citizens have felt the
shockwave of the crisis in their
salaries, pensions or even em
ployment status. But perhaps
the million-dollar question is to
what extent should the Greek
government be held responsi
ble for leading the country
down this path. Mossaidis ex
plains the increased political
I
~
"Europe's dysfunction 90es far beyond the
crisis in Greece, Spain of Portu9al. In the US,
when one state has aproblem, the entire
federal republic rushes to help that state out
of its crisis. That's not how the EU works...
distrust that Greeks feel is a
sign that the government let
them down.
"Politicians took tremendous
advantage of their citizenry,
they stole money and they
were involved in money-laun
dering. It's a shame that a few
corrupt individuals have ruined
the system of government in
Greece," says Mossaidis,
echoing the current thoughts
of many Greeks. While the re
turn of confidence in the
elected leadership is crucial to
Greece's revival, Mossaidis had
aproposition.
"Greece should discharge the
members of the parliament,
send them on a two-year sab
batical, and ask every 75
year-old person to come and
fill their spot." The age speci
fication represents Mossaidis'
belief that the older generation
understands what sacrifice
means and what type of effort
needs to be exerted to save
the country. "I'm not an econ
omist and I don't know what
year old son refused to join
him in their yearly trip to
Greece after watching the
news, Mossaidis knew that the
media were hurting Greece's
strongest trait: tourism. This
trait could be Greece's way out
of the crisis. As he sees it, "The
best way is to go visit. If 10
million Greeks of the Diaspora
visited Greece and spent
$2,000-$3,000 dollars, that's
$3 billion dollars right there."
America's eagerness to help
Greece is directly related to
the influence Greece has had
on Washington's most'impor
tant government buildings.
Hence th&comparisons he
drew between the capital's
buildings and Athens. "You
can't tell me that it doesn't re
mind you of Athens," Mos
said is repeats. "It's not an ac
cident that this country was
built the way it was built. His
torically, America has had a
romantic love affair with
Greece," he adds.
Mossaidis is referring to Amer-
The middle-class working citizens need
to modernise the way they do business; if every
single tax-paying citizen pays their taxes, if they
fill out the paperwork and do what they are
supposed to do, things will get better
the answer is but we need
some sort of drastic shift to
wake everybody up," he adds.
This "drastic shift" is not re
strained only within Greece's
boarders. With Mossaidis at
the forefront, organisations
like AHEPA have trying to help
Greece overcome the crisis
from afar. They sent millions
of dollars' worth of medical
supplies to hospitals allover
Greece and prepared food
kits through the Greek Church
in the U.S. to help people that
don't have the abiHty to eat.
Their help does not stop
there. AHEPA has also been
trying to help improve
Greece's image abroad, by
talking to news outlets that
h::lVA nvp.r-Rp.nsationalized the .
ica's founding fathers, who val
ued the ancient Greek princi
ples enough to create a nation
based on the democratic and
brotherly values set forth by
Greece. Thus, it's only natural
that Mossaidis considers him
self a contributor to the great
est nationality combination in
the world, Greek-American.
"I have the freedom that Amer
ica offers but designed by my
forefathers, the ancient
Greeks," he explains. His faith
in Greece is evident and he is
certain that Greeks are ex
tremely able to sacrifice and
do what is necessary to make
their economy work, more so
than any other nation in Eu
rope, he asserts, wrapping up
our conversation with opti-
Chinese
New legislation aims to
lure wealthy immigrants
from China willing to
invest big in residential
property
By Kathy Tzilivakis
A
residence permit is
notoriously difficult
to get in Greece
mainly because of
the difficult-to-meet application
requirements and a gruelling bu
reaucratic pro<;:edure, but not so
forimmlgrantl>' who come with
capital.:. from China.
New legislation (Law 4146/2013)
allows immigrants who spend at
least a quarter of a million euros
on residential property to auto
matically obtain a renewable ffve
year residence permit. Three
wealthy Chinese immigrants have
just been issued this five-year
permit upon the purchase of
property in Athens.
At least two more Chinese immi
grant home-buyers are in the
process of securing their resi
dence permits. According to of
ficials at the Ministries of Devel
opment and Interior, a large
number of Chinese citizens
(many of them eager to leave
their country) are in the process
of applying for these special per
mits.
In July, Deputy Development
Minister Notis Mitarakis met with
representatives of Maslink, an
emigration service company in
China with branch offices across
Europe and the United States, to
discuss the growing interest
among Chinese citizens to pur
chase property in Greece in ex
change for the permit. Mitarakis
met with Maslink's vice president,
Li Hao.
Greece is just one of many cash
strapped countries slashing re
quirements for visas and resi
dency in the hope drawing
much-needed investment. In Eu
rope, it's the cheapest option.
Portugal, for instance, has begun
granting visas to immigrants who
purchase a house valued at
500,000 euros or more. Neigh
bouring Cyprus launched a simi-
Immigrants who spend at leas
a million euros on residential
[
obtain a renewable five-year
to promote Greece's real estate h ~
investment attractions. sl
Meanwhile, Mitarakis has also in
met with representatives of JAG n
Design, an international develop c/
ment firm based in Beijing. Ac
cording to an announcement
published online by the Greek
I
embassy in Beijing, they dis
cussed the company's plan to
build a lUXUry housing complex
in Greece in order to attract Chi
nese citizens.
Mitarakis met with James Jao, a
former New York City planning
commissioner who founded the
company in 1984. The Athens
News Agency reported that the
two men discussed incentives for
direct foreign investments and a
licensing system in Greece.
In July, Greece's embassy helped
organize an investment forum in
China to brief immigration agency
representatives there about the
country's new investment-immi
gration law.
Chinese immigrants
in Greece
. The Chinese immigrant commu
nity in Athens is small and new.
In 2008, officials estimated
30,000 Chinese living and work
ing here. Today, fewer than _. _ . . __ ._ -- "'-" - J
I
i
dering. It's a shame that a few
corrupt individuals have ruined
the system of government in
Greece," says Mossaidis,
echoing the current thoughts
of many Greeks. While the re
turn of confidence in the
elected leadership is crucial to
Greece's revival, Mossaidis had
a pr9Position. . .
"Greece should discharge the
members of the parliament,
send them on a two-year sab
batical, and ask every 75
year-old person to come and
fill their spot." The age speci
fication represents Mossaidis'
belief that the older generation
understands what sacrifice
means and what type of effort
needs to be exerted to save
the country. "I ' m not an econ
omist and I don't know what
of the crisis. As he sees it, "The
best way is to go visit. If 10
million Greeks of the Diaspora
visited Greece and spent
$2,000-$3,000 dollars, that's
$3 billion dollars right there."
America's eagerness to help
Greece is directly related to
the influence Greece h'as had
onWashington's most"impor
tant government buildings.
Hence -the comparisons he
drew between the capital's
buildings and Athens. "You
can't tell me that it doesn't re
mind you of Athens," Mos
said is repeats. "It's not an ac
cident that this country was
built the way it was built. His
torically, America has had a
romantic love affair with
Greece," he adds.
Mossaidis is referring to Amer-
The middle-class working citizens need
to modernise the way they do business; if every
single tax-paying citizen pays their taxes, if they
fill out the paperwork and do what they are
supposed to do, things will get better
the answer is but we need
some sort of drastic shift to
wake everybody up," he adds.
This "drastic shift" is not re
strained only within Greece's
boarders. With Mossaidis at
the forefront, organisations
like AHEPA have trying to help
Greece overcome the crisis
from afar. They sent millions
of dollars' worth of medical
supplies to hospitals all over
Greece and prepared food
kits through the Greek Church
in the U.S. to help people that
don't have the ability to eat.
Their help does not stop
there. AHEPA has also been
trying to help improve
Greece's image abroad, by
talking to news outlets that
have over-sensationalized the .
crisis in what Mossaidis calls
"a cry for attention".
"They were trying to get people
to watch. them. Spain, Portugal
and Italy are in worse condi
tion, but Greece was the
scapegoat of a media frenzy,"
he says. When Mossaidis' 14
ica's founding fathers, who val
ued the ancient Greek princi
ples enough to create a nation
based on the democratic and
brotherly values set forth by
Greece. Thus, it's only natural
that Mossaidis considers him
self a contributor to the great
est nationality combination in
the world, Greek-American.
"I have the freedom that Amer
ica offers but designed by my
forefathers, the ancient
Greeks," he explains. His faith
in Greece is evident and he is
certain that Greeks are ex
tremely able to sacrifice and
do what is necessary to make
their economy work, more so
than any other nation in Eu
rope, he asserts, wrapping up
our conversation with opti
mism.
"Greeks have been condi
tioned to sacrifice for a reward.
This is just a blip in their way
to maturing in a financial free
country," he says. "It's just a
matter of time until everything
will be back to normal."
A
residence permit is
notoriously difficult
to get in Greece
mainly because of
the difficult-to-meet application
requirements and a gruelling bu
reaucratic progedure, but not so
for who come with
capital.:. from China.
New legislation (Law 4146/2013)
allows immigrants who spend at
least a quarter of a million euros
on residential property to auto
matically obtain a renewable fll/e
year residence permit. Three
wealthy Chinese immigrants have
just been issued this
permit upon the purchase of
property in Athens.
At least two more Chinese immi
grant home-buyers are in the
process of securing their resi
dence permits. According to of
ficials at the Ministries of Devel
opment and Interior, a large
number of Chinese citizens
(many of them eager to leave
their country) are in the process
of applying for these special per
mits.
In July, Deputy Development
Minister Notis Mitarakis met with
representatives of Maslink an
emigration service in
China with branch offices across
Europe and the United States, to
discuss the growing interest
among Chinese citizens to pur
chase property in Greece in ex
change for the permit. Mitarakis
met with Maslink's vice president,
Li Hao.
Greece is just one of many cash
strapped countries slashing re
quirements for visas and resi
dency in the hope drawing
much-needed investment. In Eu
rope, it's the cheapest option.
Portugal, for instance, has begun
granting visas to immigrants who
purchase a house valued at
500,000 euros or more. Neigh
bouring Cyprus launched a simi
lar programme recently to attract
foreigners willing to spend at
least 300,000 euros on a residen
tial property.
Maslink, according to information
posted on its website, is actively
wooing Chinese by promoting
properties in Greece. The com
pany will soon launch a series of
roadshows.in cities across China.
Immigrants who SPE
a million euros on rt
obtain a renewable'
to promote Greece's real
investment attractions.
Meanwhile, Mitarakis ha
met with representatives
Design, an international de
ment firm based in Beijir
cording to an announe
published online by the
embassy in Beijing, the
cussed the company's
build a lUXUry housing c(
in Greeee in order to attra
nese citizens.
Mitarakis met with James
former New York City pi
commissioner who found
company in 1984. The J
News Agency reported tt
two men discussed incent
direct foreign investments
licensing system in Greeo
In July, Greece's embassy
organize an investment fc
China to brief immigration c
representatives there abc
country's new investment
gration law.
Chinese immigrants
in Greece
The Chinese immigrant c(
nity in Athens is small an
In 2008, officials esti
30,000 Chinese living anc
ing here. Today, fewel
15,000 are believed to
Greece. The rest either re
to China or emigrated t(
European Union countri
cause of the economic cri,
the ever-changing and ex1
narily difficult residency r,
application-procedure in (
It is estimated that bef(
_e_
c
91}0mic crisis, Athen