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He was born in Ampelokipi, Athens, but lives in Oman.
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The roots of his family extend from Meligalas and Smyrna (on the father’s side) to Sfakia in Crete, Alexandria in Egypt, Naxos and Constantinople (on the mother’s side). With this multiculturalism “written” in his DNA, the steps of his life “traveled” to different parts of the Earth, before finally reaching the port of life in the Sultanate of Oman.
A Greek in the Sultanate of Oman
Elias Nikolakopoulos dreamed of becoming a veterinarian from a young age and his dream came true, with undergraduate studies in Bulgaria and postgraduate studies in Edinburgh. But what perhaps he never thought of studying was that as a veterinarian he would take her responsibility for the care of about 270 horses, part of the Royal Cavalry of the Sultan of Oman. And not only that, because in this beautiful country of the Arabian Peninsula, where he has lived for 15 years, he married and started a family, while today he is also the honorary consul of Greece in the sultanate.
Some 200 Greeks and Greek Cypriots have found a new life in Oman, a country where, as Mr. Nikolakopoulos explains, the basic principle of foreign policy is “friends of all, enemies of no one”. In fact, as he explains, the principles that govern this doctrine have their imprint on the mentality of the world. “Omanis are pacifists in politics, but this doctrine is the law both in their attitudes towards others and towards foreigners living in their country,” said Nikolakopoulos, who has found a second home in Oman.
Married to Omani
Married to an Omani and father of two children, the Greek vet, who lives with his family in the capital Muscat, sees, as he underlines, his future there. “Oman is a fairy tale country.” It has transformed from a ‘scattered’ Bedouin country, which it was in 1970, into a modern country, with an amazing infrastructure and development, which with great respect, preserves its identity and culture , while enriching itself with new ideas, ”says Mr. Nikolakopoulos, who would like to see, as he puts it, relations between Athens and Oman become even closer.“ Greece has good relations with Oman, but I would like to have relations even narrower. “Both countries will benefit from this friendship, on many levels,” he stresses.
The pandemic that has hit the entire planet was natural so as not to leave even Oman intact, where the dead have reached 780. “We passed the great quarantine in spring and we continue to be careful. With masks everywhere and always. The school year will begin on November 1 by quarantine, “she says, describing the situation with the coronavirus in” Middle Eastern Switzerland “, as it characterizes the country where she lives and works.
“There are some issues here in dealing with the coronavirus, which we may not be able to understand. Omanis are very traditional Arabs and they have strong body language, which means that when men meet, they will definitely shake hands, come closer. a lot and they will greet each other at the same time. They are touch and touch people. They definitely kiss on the same cheek three times, while Bedouins also have the “nose to nose” greeting. “Next thing is that in the pandemic for them, the world turned upside down, as if they were lost, ”he says.
In the Greek community, however, there were not many cases and all the rules are followed to limit the consequences of the pandemic. “This year we stopped meeting, we are waiting for the quarantine to end. But we do not get lost, we have contacts through social networks “, explains Mr. Nikolakopoulos and adds:” Before the quarantine we used to meet every first Thursday of the month for coffee and conversation. We all, without exception, watch all the developments in Greece, whether through satellite television or the Internet. The ages and professions are different, but the language and the love for Greece unite us. We are arguing, disagreeing, laughing and creating our own little Greece in the middle of Oman ”, he emphasizes, giving a little“ taste ”of the daily life of the Greeks who live in this incredible Arab country.
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