# Athanasios Sklavenitis

Athanasios (Nasos) Sklavenitis (1931 – June 2015) was a Greek military officer (Infantry Colonel) and later a businessman, co-owner - along with his brothers - of the eponymous supermarket chain. He became particularly known for his decisive involvement in the Cyprus issue during the critical decade of 1964 - 1974. Among other things, he served as the aide-de-camp to Georgios Grivas and was also the leader of EOKA B during the final phase of the Regime of the Colonels. He actively participated in the planning of the coup against Archbishop Makarios in July 1974, while in February 1975 he was involved in the Pyjamas coup, resulting in his retirement.

## Biography

Nasos Sklavenitis was born in 1931 on the island of Lefkada, but grew up in Athens, specifically in Thiseio, where he met, even as a young student, Georgios Grivas, who was his neighbor. He graduated from the Hellenic Military Academy in 1954, as an Second Lieutenant of the Infantry.
In 1964, as a Captain, Sklavenitis was one of the officers sent to Cyprus by the government of Georgios Papandreou, along with the division, to initially organize ASDAK (Supreme Military Command of Defense of Cyprus) and subsequently the National Guard of Cyprus. Due to their old acquaintance and relationship of trust, Sklavenitis became the aide-de-camp to Grivas. He stayed close to Grivas until the end of 1967 and the withdrawal of the division (after the events of Kofinou) an act for which Sklavenitis considered Georgios Papadopoulos responsible and from then on began to turn against him.
However, Sklavenitis was also disliked by the anti-junta forces, as he served as a prosecution witness in the ASPIDA case. Notably, his role was pivotal for the indictment, as he presented a copy of the alleged "oath" of the organization, which he claimed to have signed at the instruction of Grivas, aiming to infiltrate ASPIDA.
In November 1973, Sklavenitis actively participated in the successful coup of Dimitrios Ioannidis against Papadopoulos, and was immediately placed in a special position at the then Headquarters of the Armed Forces (as it had been renamed during the junta) where he took charge of all matters concerning Cyprus. After the death of Grivas (January 1974) he took over as the leader of EOKA B, which he directed from Athens. It was a very difficult period for the organization, which was torn apart by internal disputes, but also received strong blows from the armed groups loyal to Archbishop Makarios. He actively participated in the planning of the coup against Makarios in July 1974, and arrived in Cyprus immediately after July 15, to coordinate after the imposition of the coup.
In February 1975 he was involved in the Pyjamas coup, resulting in his retirement. Subsequently, he was involved with the family business group of supermarkets "Sklavenitis" which his brothers had created in 1954.
He was one of the main witnesses in the Special Examination Committee for the Cyprus File, which was established by decision of the government of Andreas Papandreou, testifying in it on July 10, 15, and 16, 1986, while during the same period he also gave a series of interviews to newspapers, in which he attributed responsibilities for the Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus to Konstantinos Karamanlis and Evangelos Averoff, while for the withdrawal of the division to Archbishop Makarios and Papadopoulos. On the contrary, he praised the policy of Georgios Papandreou and appeared repentant for his role in the ASPIDA case.
During his examination, the MPs of New Democracy wanted to highlight Sklavenitis' relationship with the shipowner Andreas Potamianos (who post-politically had become a friend and associate of Andreas Papandreou). Sklavenitis admitted that he and his brothers had business relations with Potamianos (they had taken on the supply of his ships), but commented that: "if I see Mr. Andreas Potamianos, I will say, hello, how are you, Mr. Potamianos. I will not call him Andreas" as well as that "With the coup I do not know to have any involvement. The shipowner Potamianos helped a lot in getting the Division to Cyprus, a lot, and indeed to his credit, when I returned to Greece, I learned that he refused to bring it back. He refused, even though he was a shipowner and surely it would have been in his interest not to refuse".
He died in June 2015, at the age of 84.