Stephanopoulos decorates distinguished Greeks
In a ceremony yesterday at the Presidential Palace, President Costis Stephanopoulos presented awards to distinguished Greeks. The Order of Commander of the Phoenix went to Tassos Gritsopoulos, president of the Peloponnesian Studies Association; Constantine Economides, former special counsel to the Foreign Ministry; and Erica-Irene Dai, former Greek representative on UN committees. The Greek recipients of the Gold Cross of Honor were opera singer Nikos Zachariou; Theocharis Kessidis, professor of philosophy; composer Eleni Karaindrou; set designer Dionysis Fotopoulos; actress Antigone Valakou; and Ioannis Mazarakis-Ainian, general secretary of the Historical and Ethnological Society. Another four award winners who are not Greek will receive the Gold Cross of Honor from Ambassador Alexandros Sandis at a later date at the Greek Embassy in London. The foreign recipients are Richard Clogg, professor of modern Greek history at Oxford University; Dimitris Pieridis, founder of the Pieridis Foundation; Paul Cartledge, professor of classics at Cambridge University; and Judith Herrin, professor of Byzantine studies at King’s College, London. These awards are presented annually. The benchmark general index added 0.96 percent to 1,886.67 points but ended the week with losses of more than 4 percent.
