Nikos Androulakis: A strong beating heart of Hellenism in Istanbul is a priority

Two historical educational institutions inextricably linked to the Greeks of Istanbul – the Phanar Greek Orthodox College and the Zografeion Lyceum – were visited by the president of opposition PASOK-Movement for Change, Nikos Androulakis, as part of his two-day visit to the city.

The opposition leader arrived in Turkey’s most populated city as a guest of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Proto Thema reported.

Androulakis noted the fact that while in 1964 there were 49 Greek schools operating in Istanbul with 3,000 students, today there are seven left, including the schools of Imvros, with a total of only 300 students.

“However, this shows that some people are fighting hard every day and we have a duty to support teachers, principals and students. For us, it is a first priority that the heart of Hellenism continues to beat strongly here, that our schools, civilization and culture exist,” said Androulakis.

The Director of the Phanar Greek Orthodox College, Dimitris Zotos, and the Director of the Zografeion Lyceum, Yiannis Demirtzoglou, gave the PASOK-Change Movement President a tour of the facilities and had a long discussion with him.

“I promise that we will do everything we can to defend their effort and help to solve any problems that exist in order to facilitate the important work they are doing here in Istanbul,” concluded the President of PASOK-Movement for Change.

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