Filiki Eteria
In 1817, Nikolaos Skoufas introduced Anathos and Panagiotis Anagnostopoulos to the Filiki Eteria. The last one was hosted by Athanasios Sekeris in his house in Odessa. During that time, the headquarters’ transfer to Istanbul was decided. Before Skoufas’ departing to Istanbul, he revealed to Athanasios the Supreme Leader and appointed him as co-leader with Odessa as the headquarters and responsible for Bessarabia. When Skoufas departed Odessa, he took Anagnostopoulos and a reference letter for his brother, Panagiotis Sekeris. A few weeks later, he met Panagiotis and introduced him to the Filiki Eteria. This introduction was crucial because, through Panagiotis, the Filiki Eteria jointed Istanbul’s merchants. They gave financial assistance to Athanasios, while their influence and skills facilitated its expansion.