The Statue of Ioannis Kapodistrias Will Soon Adorn the Parliament

EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis).  Congratulations to the Hellenic American National Council (HANC – Bill Mataragas, President) and particularly to HANC’s Secretary, Kostas Vaggelatos, for their successful efforts to obtain parliamentary approval for the installation of Kapodistrias’ statue in the Greek Parliament or in the surrounding space.

BELOW YOU CAN SEE THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE WEBSITE OF THE GREEK PARLIAMENT

================

source – hellenicparliament.gr

The Statue of Ioannis Kapodistrias Will Soon Adorn the Parliament

The statue of the first governor of Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias, will adorn the Hellenic Parliament in the near future.

The relevant request was submitted today to the President of Parliament, Mr. Nikitas Kaklamanis, by the Secretary of the Hellenic American National Council (HANC), Mr. Kostas Vaggelatos, and was immediately accepted.

Present at the meeting was also the distinguished Corfiot artist Ioannis Bardis, who is creating the statue of the great Greek statesman and will soon complete it.

Moreover, Mr. N. Kaklamanis was given an exact replica of the work, which has already been placed in a prominent position in his office.

“It constitutes the least tribute that Parliament can offer to such an important statesman as Ioannis Kapodistrias. It is the minimum recognition of his monumental work, 250 years after his birth…” stated the President of Parliament.

Mr. Vaggelatos, for his part, thanked Mr. Kaklamanis for his positive initial response and informed him in detail about the initiatives led by HANC to highlight the life and work of Kapodistrias, who, as he said, “Although perhaps the greatest Greek statesman, remains sidelined by official Greek history.”

He emphasized that HANC is at the forefront of efforts to complete the film by the multi-award-winning director Yiannis Smaragdis, on the first governor of the Greek state, with the official premiere scheduled for November 29 in New York.

At the same time, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of his birth, to be completed in 2026, HANC is joining forces with the “Initiative” of Corfiot organizations, under the auspices of the Municipality of Central Corfu, aiming to declare 2026 as the “Year of Ioannis Kapodistrias.” They have submitted the relevant proposal to the Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, so that through a series of events, the life, character, self-sacrificing patriotism, selfless public service, and diplomatic brilliance of the great statesman can be showcased.

Also present at the meeting was the Member of Parliament for Kefalonia, Mr. Panagis Kappatos.