AHI Hosts Farewell Luncheon for Greek Press Counselor Achilles Paparsenos

WASHINGTON, DC—On Wednesday, October 11, 2006, AHI hosted a farewell luncheon for Greek Press Counselor Achilles Paparsenos at the Capital Hilton hotel. Mr. Paparsenos is going back to Athens to assume his new duties as the Director for Public Relations in the Secretariat General of Communications and Information.

During the luncheon, Mr. Paparsenos thanked AHI for their work, and stated:

“First of all many thanks to Nick and Gene and Jim and the other Nick and the rest of the American Hellenic Institute for organizing this lunch and bringing all these friends to the table. Of course I am very honored by the presence of all of you and especially the two Ambassadors….(Greek and Cypriot Ambassadors to Washington) I would like to thank the American Hellenic Institute for what they have been doing for Greece, for Cyprus and for Hellenism for the last thirty years. I’ve spent twenty-five years of my professional career in Washington. Fifteen years from ’75 to ’90 and another ten years from ’96 to 2006. And, I admire the work that Gene and Nick and the rest of the team have done for the Greek national causes and I’m especially grateful because they supported my work. I’m sure most of you know that they have written hundreds of letters to American newspapers explaining the Greek point of view and issues of Greece on various national issues and I thank you very much because this job of explaining Greece to the U.S. can only be done through the collective efforts of many and you have done a great job in this regard, complementing my work and really helping me in my work here.”

Mr. Achilles Paparsenos was born in Volos, Greece, in 1949. After finishing High School in Volos, he studied Economics at the University of Athens on a state scholarship (BA, in 1972). He did his graduate studies in Business Administration at the American University in Washington D.C., where he received his MBA in 1976.

In November 1977, he joined the Press Attaches Service and was appointed Press Attaché of the Greek Embassy in Washington, D.C. where he had been locally employed since July 1975.

He served in the U.S. until September 1990, heading the Press Office of the Greek Embassy between November 1987 and September 1990.

In October 1990, he was transferred to Australia, where he served until March 1994 as the Director of the Press Office of the Greek Consulate General in Melbourne. He was then transferred to the Greek Embassy in London in April 1994 and served as the Director of the Embassy’s Press Office until October 1996, when he was appointed Press Counselor of the Greek Embassy in Washington D.C. In the U.S. Capital, he served until October 2006, when he was transferred to Athens as the Director for Public Relations in the Secretariat General of Communications and Information.

Mr. Paparsenos is married and has three daughters.

“Mr. Paparsenos will be very sorely missed in Washington. He was the consummate professional and a joy to work with. He was always ready and eager to assist in every way possible in a timely and sincere manner. He is held in high esteem by his many colleagues and friends. We wish him well in his new position.” Said AHI executive director, Nick Larigakis.

Please find attached a photograph from this event.

AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis (center) and AHI President Gene Rossides (right) presenting Achilles Paparsenos (left) with a small gift.

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For additional information, please contact Georgia Economou at (202) 785-8430 or georgia@ahiworld.org. For general information regarding the activities of AHI, please view our Web site at https://www.ahiworld.org.