Aγγλική μετάφραση του άρθρου Συρία: Ὅταν καταδιώκονται οἱ Ρωμηοί, ἡ Ἑλλάδα ἁπλῶς «παρακολουθεῖ»;, που δημοσιεύθηκε στην ιστοσελίδα της ΝΙΚΗΣ.
The violent events of the past days in Syria (27 March 2026), and especially in the city of al-Suqaylabiyah (Seleucia), where the Romeiko indigenous population predominates, leave absolutely no room for misinterpretation. Orthodox Romeoi (Rum) are being targeted by religiously motivated violence from fanatic elements, with barbaric and ruthless attacks against homes, property, and human lives.
Beyond the personal appeals for help voiced by many Romeoi—even addressed directly to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis—which were posted on social media as cries of anguish, the harsh truth is also recorded by the very voice of the Church. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, in a firm and unequivocal statement, does not speak of mere “incidents,” but of the incitement of religious tensions and calls for the protection of its faithful. This alone should suffice.
And yet, the Greek Government chose to respond with a weak, brief, and “formal” statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs—issued, notably, in English, so that the Greek people themselves might remain unaware—stating that it is following with concern the situation and takes into account the announcement of the Syrian Government regarding the investigation of the incidents, calling for its swift implementation.
A typical “following the situation”?
What exactly is it following? The gradual disappearance of the Orthodox presence in the East? The repetition of historical persecutions? The silent genocide of a living part of our Genos?
This stance is neither “composure” nor “diplomacy.” It is political absence, national indifference, and complete historical irresponsibility.
For the Romeoi of Syria are not “a foreign population” that it is merely desirable to protect. They are flesh of the flesh of our Genos. They are Seleucia. They are Antioch. They are the Romeiko Middle East. They are our historical heart. They are the living continuation of our homeland, Romanía (misleadingly and deceitfully termed “Byzantium”).
And there, today, severe violence is being inflicted.
Greece does not have the luxury to “follow the situation.” It has the duty to act.
It has the duty:
– to condemn clearly and unequivocally these attacks
– to bring to the forefront internationally the issue of the persecution of
Orthodox Christians
– to demand security guarantees for these communities from the Syrian
Government, even by attaching conditions to its funding by the European Union
– to actively support the Patriarchate of Antioch
And above all: to remember—and to re-examine—its identity.
For if Greece does not defend Romeosyne and the Romeoi throughout the world, and especially in the, in every respect, “sensitive” region of the Middle East, then it ceases to have any reason for existence as the historical and spiritual center of our Genos.
NIKI has consistently supported the Romeoi of the Middle East by bringing their problems to light in international forums, through Greek and foreign-language texts, through multiple parliamentary interventions, and through substantive proposals such as the granting of expatriate (homogeneis) status. We once again call upon the Government to truly support and protect our Romeoi brothers in Syria. We also call upon every Greek who feels a sense of responsibility toward our history, our culture, our heritage, and toward our afflicted brothers—with whom we share not only a common past but also a common future—to bring their endless martyrdom to light in every possible direction.
We will not abandon the
Romeoi of the Middle East.
We will not grow accustomed to persecution.
We will not remain silent.
Romeosyne does not “follow
the situation.”
Romeosyne resists.
Romeosyne Policy Department of NIKI
