ASTORIA – Members of the Greek-American community filled the Petros G. Patrides Cultural Center at St. Demetrios in Astoria on March 2 for an informative event presented by lawyer Maria Markou who shared her insights and advice on legal matters of most concern to the community. A wide range of topics was covered from issues related to the services of the Consulate General of Greece in New York, such as citizenship, registration of births, marriages, divorces, deaths, to passports, visas and immigration, among many others.

Markou opened the event with a moment of silence for the victims of the tragic train collision in Greece, noting how difficult a time it is for Greece and Cyprus. She then thanked everyone for attending and taking time from their busy schedules to participate in the event. Markou began by discussing citizenships and pointed out the importance of registering children at the Consulate. She dispelled concerns about military service requirements in Greece or Cyprus for registered males, pointing out that changes have been made in the requirements.

Markou also spoke about immigration, the different types of visas, and the Golden Visa program in Greece and Cyprus. For those interested in immigrating to the U.S. from Greece or Cyprus, she mentioned the need for diplomas in their field of expertise as applications from skilled professionals are more likely to be accepted for certain types of visas.

Markou also encouraged everyone who is eligible to register to vote in the upcoming Greek elections, the first to allow Greeks living abroad to register and vote from where they reside.

Following her presentation, Markou took questions from the audience which further highlighted the issues of most concern to the community as Markou offered her thoughts and examples from her years of practice to help. She also noted that New York City Mayor Eric Adams sent a representative from his office who greeted the audience with “kalispera” and congratulated Markou on the productive event.

Federation of Greek-American Educators President Stella Kokolis was among those attending and also spoke at the event, praising Markou for her efforts and her dedication to the community and highlighting the vital role that teachers play in promoting the Greek language and culture.

In her closing remarks, Markou thanked all those present for attending, including Kokolis who she noted is like a mother to her since her own mother passed away two years ago. She added that she always listens to her elders because they have many more years of wisdom to impart. Markou also thanked her husband Konstantinos (Gus) Lambropoulos, pointing out that God sent her the right person.

She then introduced the talented artists Phyto Stratis and Ariadne Anna who performed beloved Greek songs to entertain the audience as they enjoyed refreshments and a buffet dinner.

Also among those present were Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Fr. Nektarios Papazafiropoulos, Federation of Cypriot American Organizations (FCAO) President Kyriacos Papastylianou, Cyprus-U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board Nicolas Nicolaou, Pan-Laconian Federation President Theodore Pavlakos, FCAO Executive Assistant Tasoula Manaridis, Spiridoula Katechis, Dr. George Liakeas, and Tasos Karydis.