One of the most important campaigns ever run for the Hellenic Diaspora, an endeavor undertaken by ONNED, the Youth Organisation of the New Democracy party, with the message “Hellas unites us all” comes to a close in a few weeks. ONNED has historically stood for the great national choices, responsibly participating in the national effort and submitting suggestions that have gradually turned into laws. ONNED has always placed the national interest above all else. Leaving the Greeks of the Diaspora behind in this great common effort to revitalize our country and our nation was never an option for us.

It is true that over the last few years many young people were forced to live abroad in search of better quality of life, in order to study or with the goal of seizing better opportunities offered by more advanced countries in terms of professional evolution and growth. However, it is also true that, apart from the recent wave of young people emigrating, there are millions of Greeks who have settled in every corner of the world for decades. The Hellenic Diaspora has now been given the ability to exercise their right to vote from their permanent residence, which was a commitment of the government and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that came to reality, yet was only the beginning. The Hellenic Diaspora may now actively participate in the decisions that shape the future of our nation.

In this great effort to build a homeland that we all deserve and visualize, we want the young Greeks by our side, no matter where they are, coming from every corner of the world. The evolution of technology makes it ever easier for us to overcome the distances, maintain and improve the connections between ourselves and our home country. It is up to us to work together in order to further strengthen the already strong bonds between Greece and all Greeks, wherever they may find themselves.

I have pledged that together we will make ONNED an organization open to all, a youth organization of the many, that will support inclusion and participation without leaving anyone behind both in Greece and abroad. Our brothers and sisters of the Diaspora on the other side of the Atlantic will usher in a new era for ONNED and I am certain that their contribution will empower the burning desire of all Greeks to build our new home country that we want to build, a homeland we deserve. Hellas, that unites us all.

Pavlos Marinakis is the President of ONNED (Οργάνωση Νέων Νέας Δημοκρατίας), the Youth Organisation of the New Democracy party.