by Demetrios Rhompotis

Despite the torrential summer rain, about 25 members of the board, headed by Chairman John Sakellaris and President George Siamboulis, proceeded with the solemn and unofficial ceremony, accompanying New Jersey Metropolitan Evangelos and the Consul General of Cyprus in New York, Koula Sophianou, to raise the flag on a pole which will stand permanently next to the American and Greek flags. Consul Evangelos Kyriakopoulos of Greece was also present and saluted the event. Before the raising of the flag, Metropolitan Evangelos sang a memorial service.

At the luncheon that followed, John Sakellaris expressed everybody’s wish, this to be the last year with half of Cyprus under Turkish occupation. Consul General Sophianou briefed the Pangregorians on the recent developments regarding the talks for reunification and expressed heartfelt thanks to the organization for its constant support.

Pan Gregorian Enterprises, Inc. (PGE) is a Food service Cooperative which was formed by Greek American restaurant owners. Although it began in New Jersey, the concept quickly expanded to Metro New York & Long Island, Upper New York and Connecticut.

In 1987, Pangregorian’s Charitable Foundation was established in order to express the members’ gratitude to their patrons and general public for supporting their diners and restaurants.The Foundation has succeeded over the years to donate over $1,000,000 especially to entities that deal with children suffering from serious diseases.

On July 15, 1974 a coup was staged in Cyprus by the military junta, then in power in Greece, for the overthrow of the then President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios. Turkey used this pretext to launch an invasion, with a full-fledged army against defenseless Cyprus on July 20, 1974. The invasion was carried out in two stages (July 20-22 and August 14-16), in which the Turkish troops eventually occupied 37% of the island's territory.

Nearly two hundred thousand Greek Cypriots, 40% of the total Greek Cypriot population, were forced to leave their homes in the occupied area and became refugees in their own country. Hundreds of people were reported missing and their fate has still not been ascertained. The island's rich cultural and religious heritage in the occupied areas has been looted and/or destroyed.

Several rounds of inter-communal talks between the island’s two main communities (Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots) have not led to any positive development. This is due to the Turkish side's intransigence and continuing effort to partition the island by means of maintaining an occupation army of 40.000 soldiers and by the colonization of the occupied part of Cyprus with over 80,000 settlers from Anatolia.

Pan Gregorian Enterprises headquarters is located at 629 Springfield Rd, Union, NJ and their website is pge-nj.com