Pennsylvania state Rep. Steven Malagari said he presented Greek President Constantine Tassoulas with an official copy of the state House’s Pontian Greek Genocide resolution during a July 22 meeting in Athens. The Montgomery County Democrat says he plans to pursue another House designation for 2027.
The presentation took place at the Presidential Mansion during the 30th anniversary program of the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association, or WHIA, whose governing board includes Malagari. Tassoulas received the association’s board members during their visit to Athens.
Five days later, Tassoulas handed the copy to Giorgos Varythymiadis, president of the Pan-Pontian Federation of Greece, and Christina Sachinidou, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Pontian Associations.
Tassoulas described the Pennsylvania vote as part of the continuing work of Pontian organizations, the Greek state and the Diaspora to secure international recognition of the genocide. The July 27 meeting placed the resolution within that wider effort, although it did not constitute a new recognition by Greece.
Malagari told Cosmos Philly that he also presented House Resolution 553 to South Aegean Regional Gov. George Hatzimarkos during the WHIA delegation’s visit to Rhodes. Malagari said both Tassoulas and Hatzimarkos also received copies of HR 446, the Pennsylvania House resolution marking Greek Independence Day in 2026.
The lawmaker said he intends to return to the Pontian remembrance measure next year.
“I’d like to introduce this again for 2027 in the House,” Malagari said in a written response to Cosmos Philly. “I encourage my Senate colleagues to introduce the same. Recognition from the Governor is always welcomed.”
Why the Pennsylvania vote came after May 19
The Pennsylvania House adopted HR 553 by a 200–2 vote on June 29, designating May 19, 2026, as Pontian Greek Genocide Remembrance Day.
The resolution describes the persecution, killing and displacement of Pontian and Anatolian Greeks between 1914 and 1923. It also refers to Armenian and Assyrian victims of the same period.
The June vote followed two earlier attempts.
Malagari circulated a proposal for the 2025 commemoration, but it was not formally introduced as a resolution.
He introduced House Resolution 511 on May 4, 2026, under the title “Greek Pontian Genocide Remembrance Day.” The measure was referred to the House State Government Committee but received no vote.
Malagari said the State Government Committee did not meet again after HR 511 was introduced, so he filed the revised HR 553 in June under the title “Pontian Greek Genocide Remembrance Day.”
The second measure was referred to the House Tourism, Recreation and Economic Development Committee. It cleared the committee on June 9 and passed the full House on June 29, 41 days after the commemorative date.
Malagari said the goal was to raise awareness and secure recognition for Pontian Greeks, Armenians and Assyrians. The WHIA anniversary program gave him a reason to continue pursuing the measure after May 19 had passed.
“My goal was to have this done in time to present at the WHIA 30th Anniversary celebrations,” he said.
HR 553 remains a resolution of the Pennsylvania House alone. It did not go before the state Senate or governor, applies only to the 2026 commemoration, and does not establish an annual observance.
A family connection to Asia Minor
Malagari connected the resolution to his family’s history during his remarks before the House vote.
His family is not from Pontus but from the Marmara region of Asia Minor. He said his ancestors were forced from their homes and later resettled on Lesbos through the population exchange between Greece and Turkey.
Malagari described growing up with stories of places his family could no longer call home but had never forgotten. He said those uprooted from Asia Minor rebuilt their lives while preserving their language, faith and traditions.
Remembrance, he told the House, can teach later generations about the consequences of hatred, intolerance and ethnic persecution.
Malagari says he will introduce another House resolution for 2027, encourage similar action in the Pennsylvania Senate and welcome recognition from the governor.