Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway as well as the Ambassador of Norway in Greece visited on Friday, June 9th, the organization’s Solidarity Center in Athens, in the framework of the overall SOAM Program “Supporting Organizations that assist migrant asylum-seeking population in Greece”.
The President of SolidarityNow, Mr. Stelios Zavvos, welcomed Ms. Marit Berger Røsland, State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jørn Eugene Gjelstad, Ambassador of Norway in Greece, Mr. Lefteris Papagiannakis, Vice Mayor of Athens and Mr. Dimitris Vlastos, President of Bodossaki Foundation, to the Solidarity Center. The ensuing discussion concerned the expansion of Norway’s support to Greece through the new EEA grants, focusing on the cooperation among all partners, including the civil society and municipalities.
“We are proud to have contributed through the EEA Grants – a unique platform of cooperation – to the humanitarian crisis in Greece. It was important for my country to take the initiative on this, while our support remains active. I am really impressed by what I saw today at the Solidarity Center and the work being done on it,” said Ms. Røsland, the State Secretary of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The President of SolidarityNow, Mr. Stelios Zavvos, stressed that: “Civil society has taken the lead in tackling the humanitarian crisis in Greece. People of different backgrounds worked together and managed to help our fellow citizens in need. A solid example of effectiveness is the SolidarityNow Center in Athens, which has so far provided more than 130,000 services to people with immediate needs. To accomplish this, we have successfully cooperated with the EEA Grants, the Norwegian Embassy in Greece and the OSF that contributed to the project, the Municipality of Athens, as well as with civil society organizations and institutions active in the Solidarity Center. On this occasion, I would like to thank you warmly, for what you have done so far and for your immediate response when we needed your help. Your contribution to our efforts to improve the lives of our most vulnerable fellow citizens has been and remains of significant importance.”
*Norway, through the EEA grants has provided invaluable support to Greece and the Greek civil society sector. The Solidarity Center in Athens was established and operates, through this grant mechanism, following an “open door” policy meaning it is accessible to all people, regardless of nationality, religion, ethnic origin. Through this grant mechanism
**The Athens Solidarity Center was funded through EEA Grants and the Embassy of Norway in Greece, since its start and until April 2016.