The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Monday, July 6, 2009

W.T.Reporter Iason Athanasiadis released [ 166 ]

The Washington Times

Iran releases Washington Times' reporter
No charges filed in case

By Barbara Slavin
Originally published 04:45 a.m., July 6, 2009, updated 07:06 a.m., July 6, 2009


Iran on Sunday freed Iason Athanasiadis, a freelance reporter who had traveled to the country to cover Iran's presidential elections for The Washington Times.

Mr. Athanasiadis had been detained in Iran since June 17, when he was arrested at Tehran's airport while preparing to leave the country in the aftermath of the vote.

Greek diplomats took the lead in securing the release of the reporter, who holds dual citizenship in Greece and Britain.

"I would like to express my deep satisfaction for the release of Iason Athanasiadis, following close and continuous contacts with the Foreign Ministry of Iran and under difficult conditions for all. This case has finally come to a happy conclusion," Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said in a statement. "I hope that his family won't ever have to relive the agony they experienced over the last fortnight."

Times Executive Editor John Solomon thanked both Greece and the Iranian government.

"We'd like to publicly thank the Greek government for its relentless efforts to free Iason from captivity and to express our appreciation to Iran's government for listening to our private humanitarian pleas, setting aside whatever difference it had with Western governments and allowing Iason to reunite with his family, which had suffered so much anguish these last two weeks," Mr. Solomon said in a statement.

No charges were filed against Mr. Athanasiadis.

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hasan Qashqavi, in announcing the decision to free the reporter, told Iranian state television that in the past the journalist had traveled to Iran using a British passport. Mr. Qashqavi said that when Mr. Athanasiadis returned on his Greek passport he became involved in encouraging demonstrators protesting the results of the June 12 election and was arrested because of this "unprofessional" behavior. The spokesman gave no specifics.

Hundreds of journalists, bloggers and political activists have been arrested in the aftermath of the vote, which the Iranian government contends was won in a landslide by incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mr. Athanasiadis is thought to have been the only non-Iranian detained. A Newsweek correspondent, Maziar Bahari, a dual Iranian-Canadian citizen, is still in being held in custody, along with more than a dozen Iranian journalists.
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC
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