Concordia Europe Summit and DAGR
Last week, June 6-7, DAGR Treasurer Alec Mally, retired Greek diplomat Dimitris Tsikouris, and I attended the two-day Concordia Europe Summit. Our invitation came not without some effort and most particularly that of DNC Vice Chair Michael Blake. His willingness to help was a result of the effort our global leadership has made to put DA on the DNC radar.
Finding sustainable, long-term responses to refugee flows around the world was the focal point. Cooperation, particularly trans-Atlantic, and support for international institutions that promote that cooperation were pointed to as essential.
Greece was chosen as the setting for this first Concordia event in Europe because of the particularly heavy refugee aide burden the country has shouldered in the midst of its own economic crisis. Also, note that the Logothetis family, central to Concordia founding and support, is proud of its Greek heritage.
Initially, we wanted to be at the Summit to greet former Vice President Joe Biden. Well, we managed to sit in the same room. Mr Biden was whisked in and out, on a tight schedule. There were no selfies with the V-POTUS! What we got instead was a crash-course in what can be done to make the world a better place … as well as quite a few people wondering if Mr Biden might not be persuaded to run in 2020.
Alec covered Mr. Biden’s remarks for New Europe magazine, “Concordia European Summit: Joe Biden tries to contain Trump’s transatlantic shockwaves”. He said there were so many great quotes, it was hard to decide, but here’s a sampler:
Vice President Biden’s remarks were clearly intended to calm European fears of precipitous American disengagement from the world under the Trump Administration, as well as to address some specifics of the U.S.-Greece relationship, both recurring themes of the Concordia European Summit:
--A strong Greece is essential to U.S. security. The same rationale President Harry Truman used in 1947 when requesting aid for Greece and Turkey applies today. Quoting Truman: “The free peoples of the world look to us for support in maintaining their freedoms.”
--President Truman did not refer to charity or moral superiority when he asked Congress to allocate aid to Greece, it was a case of self-interest to protect the welfare of the United States over the long haul, and it worked.
--Biden said the U.S. needs Greece back on its feet, and on a sustainable footing which will allow for job creation. “That requires debt forgiveness, in my view.” (No further elaboration)
--On challenges in the region: Biden believed a Cyprus solution is tantalizingly close.
You can read the rest of the article at New Europe. Be sure to include #Concordia17 in shares and tweets.
On to the Conclusion
While prepared to be skeptical of the emphasis on P3 (public-private partnership), I was pleasantly disappointed. Rather than profit, the emphasis was on duty, service and best practices. George Logothetis, summed it up, straight from the heart, without notes or teleprompter. Watch the livestream; his eyes never leave the audience.
It’s going to take some time to sort out everything I heard, and I will be reviewing the recorded livestream. It’s recommended if time permits. Mostly very agreeable, a few points less so, but thought-provoking – and encouraging – throughout.
by Karen Lee, DAGR Chair
Concordia Live Stream
These videos are of whole sessions, each about 4 hours long. Allow time for them to load and buffer and then use the slider to skip to parts you may want to watch.
Day 1
Afternoon Session (4 hrs 53 mins)
Video w/out sound starts at about 16 min
Meeting opens at 26 min, video about Concordia, remarks by founders
Remarks by President Provopoulos at 37 minutes, interpreter’s voice.
Day 2
Morning Session (4 hrs 15 mins)
Video w/out sound starts at about 15 min
Meeting convened at 26 mins
Former V-POTUS Biden is introduced by Mike Manatas at 29 mins
George Logothetis stirring speech at 39 mins
Round-table on future of Europe at 1:54:00
Day 2
Afternoon Session (4 hrs 15 mins)
Video w/out sound starts at about 7 min
Archibishop Bartholomew introduced at about 8 mins
PM Tsipras closing address (interpreters voice) at about 3:36:00