The strong friendship between Greece and Australia was stressed during the opening of a photography exhibition at Kastellorizo, a Greek island on the southeastern Mediterranean that saw a huge outflow of migrants to Australia.
The Australian Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires Jon Philp referred to the strong friendship between Greece and Australia, as well as to the creation of the vibrant Greek-Australian community, during the event.
The exhibition was dedicated to the ‘Anzacs’, namely the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops that came to Greece and took part in the Allied campaign that started from Lemnos on 25 April 1915, with the aim of taking the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The exhibition is being held in the framework of the events for the 4th International Documentary Festival “Beyond Borders” in Kastellorizo, organised by the Hellenic History Foundation, under the auspices of the foreign ministry. The awards of the Festival have been established by the Hellenic Parliament, while the Athens-Macedonian News Agency is a sponsor.
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Greece has a place in Australia’s tradition
The exhibition features moments from the Anzac presence in Greece. Mr Philp stressed that the Anzac tradition is deeply engraved in Australian history and its evolution. He said the fact that Greece has a place in this tradition because of the presence of the Anzacs in Greece during World War I and World War II, adding that this has enhanced the relationship between the two countries. He added that the Anzacs time in Greece laid the foundations of a friendship that would endure over time and last beyond the war in a friendship that grew stronger over time as the ties forged between Greece and Australia were reinforced by the 20th-century migration waves.
The Kastellorizo International Documentary Festival began on Sunday on the Aegean island and will last a week, with a total of 24 films to be screened from 18 countries. Speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Irene Sarioglou, general secretary of the foundation, noted that this year a total of 400 films were submitted from around the world, and this fact demonstrates the growing momentum of this special festival each year, which is a very big celebration of culture and a variety of artistic activities, with concerts, theatrical performances and more.
The vision of the organisers of the festival is summed up in the phrase “to bring the world to Kastellorizo and to bring Kastellorizo to the world.”