consulate events
Fulbright Scholars Dinner 2005
Ambassador Charles Ries at Fulbright Scholars Dinner
Mediterranean Palace Hotel October 17, 2005
Ambassador Charles Ries spoke on the enduring ties between the U.S. and Greece, highlighting the importance of educational exchanges during a gala dinner in his honor organized by the Association of Fulbright Scholars. The event took place at the Mediterranean Palace Hotel on October 17, 2005.
The following is Ambassador Ries speech (as delivered).
"The Enduring Ties between the U.S. and Greece"
Ambassador Charles P. Ries
October 17, 2005
Fulbright Dinner
Thessaloniki, Greece
Thank you very much Professor Sfendoni. Thank you very much for inviting me here and for organizing tonight’s gathering. Thank you also to Artemis Zenetou, the Fulbright Foundation’s Executive Director. Mr. Minister, Mr. Nomarch, Mr. Vice Mayor, Mr. Secretary General, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure to be back here in Thessaloniki tonight to speak to so many friends, and to talk about the relationship between Greece and the United States of America. It is also a great pleasure to welcome my dear wife Marcie Ries for her first visit to Thessaloniki.
She would probably kill me for saying this but it has been almost a year that she was sworn in as Ambassador to Albania and in the unwavering rules of diplomatic protocol what matters is precedence. And because she was sworn in to Albania long before I was sworn in to Greece she is the senior Ambassador. But of course, for us, the Ries family, it is nothing new, she always was the senior member. I am so grateful to all of you for welcoming her so warmly. I have always felt that there is some basic violation of human rights when people are forced to listen to a speech with only bread and water to sustain them, so I’ll get right to the point.
Since I am speaking about the relationship between the United States and Greece, let me begin by saying I believe it is strong and getting stronger. A few weeks ago President Bush welcomed the new Ambassador of Greece to the United States, Alexandros Mallias, at the White House. As he did when Prime Minister Karamanlis visited the White House in May, the President confirmed to Ambassador Mallias that the United States and Greece are good friends, key allies, and strategic partners during these times of great change in the world.
Moreover, in his remarks President Bush recognized that the relationship between our two countries, allied as democracies, and tied together by families, education, and history, has deepened and matured over good times and some difficult times. America faced one such time recently as Hurricane Katrina devastated an entire region. In the aftermath of this event, Greece and Greeks everywhere reached out to America in thought and deed, graciously offering material assistance, support and condolences. The positive nature of our relationship was evident and for your kind thoughts and offers, we thank you.
Greece’s support after the hurricane was merely the latest exhibition of the strength of our relationship. Today our nations are facing the challenges of this century in many productive ways. We are working together as partners in NATO, through the U.S. – European Union relationship, and as members of the UN Security Council. We are, as President Bush said, strategic partners.
I want to talk about the ties between our nations that have led to this partnership, but first I want to discuss what it means to be strategic partners.
Doing so requires a brief look back and a brief look forward. Looking back, the United States and Greece share historical ties that go back to pre-revolutionary days. Great American thinkers like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were dazzled by Greek ideas which inspired our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence, the foundations of our democratic government. So it’s no surprise that when the Greeks were fighting for their own freedom nearly fifty years later, they saw it in alliance with the United States. One that would be, in words of the founders of Greece’s democracy, “founded on freedom and virtue.” The American and Greek revolutions inspired many to seek freedom from their own oppressors.
Indeed throughout the centuries there have been times when people, united in purpose and in opposition to tyranny, have moved their countries toward freedom. Now is such a time. New democracies are emerging in the former Soviet region, in the Ukraine, Georgia, Turkistan, as well as in the broader Middle East, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, Iraq and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan and Iraq the results are dramatic. In September Afghanistan held its first parliamentary provincial council election since 1969. Foreign and domestic observers judged the elections a success. Particularly in areas where lingering insurgency was strongest. Afghans lined up to vote with determination. In Iraq, just this past weekend, Iraqis took to the polls in a historic referendum on the Iraqi-drafted constitution.
As two of the oldest democracies in the planet, Greece and the United States have a special responsibility to support, defend and mentor these emerging democracies. We are carrying out these responsibilities as strategic partners.
So what is a strategic partner? In my view, a strategic partner is one with whom you share perspectives and responsibilities on broader challenges. You discuss your interests and concerns, you hear your other partner’s ideas and worries. You trust your partner’s judgment. Together you talk about ways to promote your common goals and mutual interests. Partnership involves hard work by both sides. Right now Greece and America are working together to create stability in the region which in turn will create security for our nations. We are working together to create a strong and stable Balkans on maritime interdiction, counter-terrorism and as well on the Middle East.
I would like to pause here and mention one issue about which there has been a great deal of misunderstanding in the media. You may have heard about the recent proposal from UN Special Mediator Matthew Nimetz regarding the Macedonia name issue. The U.S. strongly supports the UN-led process to broker a solution to the bilateral disagreement between Greece and its northern neighbor. The recent proposal from the UN Mediator was a UN proposal and originated in the UN. It was not a U.S. proposal. But this is clearly an on-going process, and with the UN’s support, the two parties must work together to resolve their disagreements and reach a mutually acceptable solution, which the U.S. will gladly support.
These mutual efforts show that the United States and Greece have a strong relationship. And while our governments are to be credited, I believe the real source of the strength underlying our relationship are the individual relationships between Americans and Greeks. There are close, enduring ties between our two countries. Nowhere are these ties stronger than in education.
For decades, the United States and Greece have enjoyed a long and successful partnership when it comes to educational exchanges and cooperation. Every year there are thousands of cross-cultural educational programs involving our children, siblings, relatives and friends. They study, research, and work together in exchange programs and in Greek schools in America, and in American schools in Greece. Each of these interactions promotes the educational ties between our two countries that, in turn, further the understanding upon which good international relationships are built.
The good news is that these educational ties are strengthening even further. More than 2,000 Greek students are studying in the United States this year -- a higher percentage of students per capita than most countries in the EU. The Greek Fulbright program is also attracting more applicants than ever which is attributed to the work of all of you and to Artemis and the staff of the Foundation.
These are things of which we can be proud. Reaching out and bringing in international students is important to the growth and diversity of our academic institutions. Studying abroad promotes mutual understanding between countries and creates life-long friendships across borders and seas. The relationships that follow connect our political, economic and cultural lives and make them more vibrant.
Senator Fulbright understood the importance of this educational exchange process. When he created the educational exchange program that took his name, he spoke of the important role it could play in diplomacy. Educational exchange programs, he said, “turn nations into people” and “contribute to the humanizing of international relations.”
The Senator’s statement was a bold one at the beginning of the cold war era. But, it turned out to be right -- exchange programs create friendships and understanding between cultures, which in turn increase security and cooperation.
Based on the Senator’s vision, the Fulbright exchange program has become the world leader in educational exchange. The Foundation in Greece of course is a leader. The Foundation here was the first in Europe, and the second oldest continuously operating Fulbright program in the world as Prof. Sfendoni already mentioned. The Foundation has given grants to over 2,400 Greeks and 1,300 Americans in its 57-year history.
These thousands join over 255,000 people worldwide who have participated in Fulbright exchanges. Add to that the millions, including hundreds of thousands of Greeks, who have studied in the United States on their own, and one must wonder, how many exchange program alumni around the world are in decision-making positions in governments, universities, businesses such as yourselves? How many of them are educating or raising the next generation of decision-makers?
There are many. Indeed, educational exchange programs have a tendency to nurture future leaders: Costas Karamanlis and Bill Clinton have participated in exchange programs. This group is no exception. Last year, three Fulbright alumni, scholars from Aristotle University, were appointed as Secretaries-General to government ministries. Your association can be proud of this impressive, and I think, unique, accomplishment.
Your voices and opinions and the voices and opinions of the thousands of other Greek Fulbright Alumni, all have greater value because they are informed by the experience of studying abroad. Whether you agree with every aspect of U.S. policy or not, your opinions of us are based on understanding, not myth.
Likewise, when American students return from study in Greece, they have a better appreciation of your long history, and of your modern way of life and thinking, than students who have never been here.
There are several venerable educational institutions in Greece, founded by Americans with Greek partners, which also serve to strengthen the ties between us.
The American School of Classical Studies was founded in 1881 by Charles Norton, who wanted to build a school where, in his words, “young scholars might carry on the study of Greek thought and life.” This school has done exactly that. For decades, its scholars have worked in ancient Corinth and at the Athenian Agora. They have excavated, built museums, and vastly increased the world's understanding of ancient Greece.
Another unique institution is the American Farm School right here in Thessaloniki. The Farm School, started in 1904 by American missionary John Henry House, pioneered American-style agricultural education in Greece. More than 200 students from Greek villages and other Balkan countries, all of whom are on full-tuition scholarships, are studying at the school this year. Thank you Mr. McGrew for joining us tonight.
Anatolia College and Pinewood routinely send their graduates to America’s best universities. The best from this region enrolling in the best American universities. The American College of Thessaloniki offers an excellent university curriculum and sends its graduates to top notch graduate schools around the world.
These are but a few of the many other fine schools and educational exchange programs throughout Greece that contribute to the network of enduring Greek-American ties.
I can tell you that if it were just up to diplomats and politicians, we would not have the breadth, and depth, of the Greek-American relationship that we have today. Rather, it takes individuals like you, and organizations like this one, to keep the relationship strong.
So, while I am always happy to visit Thessaloniki, tonight I do have one request: Keep talking about your experiences.
Nothing does more to ensure participation in exchange and study-abroad programs than your good words about the programs and your support for them. How many people have each of you encouraged, by word or deed, to go to school or to work in the United States? If you know a young person thinking about studying in the United States, pass along your experiences. Tell them about the Fulbright office, where they can talk for free to an educational advisor, or send them onto the Internet, let them find out about scholarships and do some research on universities. Let them know that studying in the U.S. remains a terrific choice if they want a world-class education.
We have much to celebrate tonight. A vibrant and successful Fulbright program, the partnership between our nations, and the historic and enduring ties between our two countries, may they ever be such.
Thank you.