The next tree-planting project of the Greek-American Foundation, Plant Your Roots in Greece, will take place at one of the most important archaeological sites of our country, the archaeological park of Dion, Pieria, where excavations continue and new archaeological findings are unearthed daily.
Planned tree-plantings will take place in collaboration with the society Friends of Green of Thessaloniki. The Foundation Plant Your Roots in Greece was fraternized with the Society of Thessaloniki last August within the context of the first International Conference of H.A.N.C. titled Reviving the Delphic Idea, which was held in Delphi.
We are especially fortunate that Greek-Americans, in collaboration with our fellow countrymen in Thessaloniki, will plant trees in one of the most important archaeological sites of our homeland. Our goal has always been environmental protection and the cultivation of volunteerism, says the Foundation’s President, Mr. Th. Spyropoulos. The presidium of S.A.E. exhibited great interest in the adoption of our Foundation’s program. We are looking forward to collaborating with all its districts in order to contribute to the reforestation of our land.
The tree-planting plan was designed by members of the society Friends of Green. The vice president of the Society and Assistant Professor of the School of Agronomy and Natural Environment of the Aristotelian University of Athens, Mr. Theoharis D. Zagas, and the General Secretary, Mr. Gregoris K. Nikolaidis, Agronomist-President of the Agricultural Society Macedonia-Thrace, visited the archaeological park of Dion along with its founder, Professor Dem. Pandermalis, and his colleagues. After they toured the site, they concluded that tree-plantings were necessary and a priority.
Mr. Zagas, in the study he submitted to the President of Plant Your Roots in Greece, Mr. Th. Spyropoulos, notes that the reputation of the archaeological park of Dion, Pieria, extends beyond Greek and European boundaries, and with each day it enlists new ambassadors throughout the world. There are several factors contributing to this:
ͺImportance of area (size, findings, ecological
 condition, geography of location etc.)
 ͺProximity to legendary Mt. Olympus
 ͺContinually increasing numbers of visitors annually
Our goal, notes the Professor is for this area to be kept in the best condition possible through the heralding and promotion of archaeological findings and the protection of its natural environment. It is a happy occasion that for the first time there is formal collaboration between two most important scientific branches, namely Archaeology and Geo-technical Sciences, which have, thus far, contributed immensely to the preservation of the cultural heritage and natural environment of our country.

May 9, 2007

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

It is not surprising that the Honorable Foreign Minister Milososki of FYROM, being a non-Greek, is only vaguely familiar with Greek mythology and Sisyphus in particular. We encourage him to open any dictionary before he attempts his next mythology lecture to the Greek American community. 

Be that as it may, the Random House dictionary under Sisyphus, states: A son of Aeolos and ruler of Corinth, noted for his trickery; he was punished in Tartarus by being compelled to roll a stone to the top of a slope, the stone always escaping him near the top and rolling down again

It is very appropriate that Mr. Milososki and his countrymen realize that trickery does not pay and that they are condemned by the goddess TRUTH to perpetually fail in their attempts to convince the world that they are Macedonians. In short Sisyphus’ act was not an example of irrational behavior, as Mr. Milososki claims, but the price he had to pay for indulging in trickery, an act, no doubt, very familiar to Mr. Milososki and his fellow FYROMians. 

Panos D. Spiliakos

Supreme President 

The Honorable Carolyn Maloney

2331 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congresswoman Maloney,

On behalf of the Pan-Macedonian Association and as American citizens, descending from Macedonia, Greece, we would like to express our gratitude to you for sponsoring HR 356. Resolution 356 precisely depicts the problematic circumstances emitted by GreeceΌs northern neighboring State, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or simply the FYROM.

We have been made aware that a letter by the United Macedonian Diaspora has been sent to you and as American citizens who have every right to refer to ourselves as Greek-Americans of Macedonian descend, we would kindly like to bring to our RepresentativesΌ attention the following facts:

Mr. Koloski in his letter states: In the 1900s, maps of Macedonia showed the northern region of Greece and the current Republic of Macedonia on the map as one. As an image, that is neither propaganda nor a hostile activity, because it is simply the region as it existed at that time. Mr. Koloski fails to recognize the fact that during the Ottoman era which lasted for about 500 years (Greek Macedonia was liberated in 1912), there was no use of the term Macedonia (meaning the boundaries of the geographic or ancient Macedonia). The area of Macedonia was divided in two vilayets the vilayet of Thessaloniki and the vilayet of Monastiri (Bitola). Skopje was the capital of the Kossovo vilayet and was never part of the so-called geographic Macedonia.

The President of the so-called United Macedonian Diaspora in his letter declares that 120 countries, including the United States have recognized the Republic of Macedonia under its constitutional name. According to Interim Accord (Sept. 13, 1995) and under the aegis of UN (UN Resolutions #817 of April 7 and #845 of June 18) of the year 1993, the temporary name until both countries, Greece and the aforementioned State, reach a permanent solution about this issue, is the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or simply The FYROM. Although we highly question the validity of the actual number of countries of his declaration, President KoloskiΌs assertion that 120 countries have recognized the FYROM as Republic of Macedonia, projects the intransigence of his StateΌs political leadership to not adhere to the international rules drawn by the UN.
It is unfortunate that President Bush on November 4, 2004, immediately following the elections, and after he secured the Greek vote and political contributions, erroneously recognized the FYROM as Republic of Macedonia, reversing a 60 plus year US policy, and disregarding the fact that in both World Wars, the Korean Conflict, and the Cold War, Greece was always an ally to our great country. The passing of Resolution 356 by the House of Representatives may disappoint the 38,051 individuals throughout the United States who unjustifiably claim an alleged Macedonian ethnicity: (see 2000 USA Census Bureau http://www.euroamericans.net/macedonian.htm ), but will reaffirm justice to the 1,153,307 or so Greek Americans (see 2000 Census: http://www.euroamericans.net/greek.htm ) who are witnessing the most horrible revision, undermining, and outright theft of their identity, history, and heritage, as well as a potentially destabilizing threat in the broader region of their ancestral homeland in South East Europe.

In reference to the so-called Macedonian minority within the borders of Greek Macedonia, how can Greece recognize such a minority when its 2,000,000 inhabitants of its Macedonian Province and also those of its Macedonian Greek Diaspora are all MACEDONIANS? It would be a dire error for any Greek administration to recognize only a few individuals in Greece as Macedonians and disfranchise the plethora of its Macedonian Greek citizens. Doing so would destabilize and put at risk any administration that took such an action. 

Greece has proved her friendship toward her northern neighbor, because she fully supports the existence of a country north of Greece with the interim name of the FYROM. Mr Koloski cannot deny Greece's positive stance toward the FYROM providing any assistance possible, including employment to the FYROM's citizens although the FYROM is returning the good neighborhood gesture with contempt and irredentism. It is the FYROM which refuses to honor their signature on the Interim Agreement.

Furthermore Greece supports the efforts of this State to join the EU and NATO, provided the official name of the country differentiates its citizens from the Macedonian Greeks, completely stops its propaganda emanating from the FYROM school books and the efforts of her Diaspora to usurp the Greek history, culture and identity through academic institutions, publications and the Internet as it is happening globally. These sentiments are expressed in all recent year resolutions at the annual conventions of the Pan-Macedonian Association: We fully support the existence of a country north of Greece with the interim name of the FYROM. We support her efforts to join the EU and NATO&Further, we harbor no animosity of any ill feelings towards her citizens or her Diaspora.

Mr. Milososki's utterance questioning the democratic values of Greece is totally unfounded. Neither Greece nor its Diaspora need lessons in democracy.  The economist has published that Greece rating in the 22^nd position, is ahead of France and the UK in democratic values, branded as full democracy.  The FYROM was 68^th, given the title of a "flawed democracy."

http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2006/11/24/feature-01

Congresswoman Maloney, thank you and your colleagues for spearheading HR 356.

Sincerely,

Panos D. Spiliakos Nina Gatzoulis

Supreme President Supreme Vice-President

Cc: The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

 The Honorable Gus Bilirakis

 The Honorable John Boehner

 The Honorable Jim Costa

 The Honorable Eliot. L. Engel

  The Honorable Luis Fortuno

 The Honorable Elton Gallegly

 The Honorable Ruben Hinojosa

 The Honorable Robert D. Inglis

 The Honorable Tom Lantos

 The Honorable Thaddeus McCotter

 The Honorable Brad Miller

  The Honorable William Pascrell, J.

 The Honorable Ted Poe

 The Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

 The Honorable Linda T. Sanchez

 The Honorable Albio Sires

 The Honorable Mark Souder

 The Honorable John S. Tanner

 The Honorable Robert Wexler

 The Honorable Joe Wilson