“Greece and Turkey have more things in common than differences”   Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a landmark visit to Greece on December 7th-8th in which he was greeted by an honour guard at the airport before heading to central Athens to lay a wreath at the ...

  An upgrading of bilateral political dialogue and potential investment sought     Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias carried out a tour in Asia and visited India, Singapore and South Korea, as part of the multidimensional and active foreign policy of Greece which seeks to upgrade bilateral political dialogue ...

  “With Vienna being an internationally recognised hub for international dialogue, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, including ecumenical dialogue, are important goals of the Austrian Foreign Cultural Policy. In our point of view, religion is part of the solution and not part of the problem… We firmly believe that the 2nd ...

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic, Nikoz Kotzias, paid a one-day working visit to Ankara at the end of October upon an invitation of his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. Expectations are high. After an unusually frosty beginning to the year, it appears that there exists willingness for de-escalation. ...

  Economic cooperation between Greece and South Korea can significantly help the momentum of development, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said in statements after his meeting with the visiting Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Lee Nak-yon at the Maximos Mansion. The reason for Premier Lee Nak-yon’s visit was to ...

    America highlights Greece’s strategic importance as a beacon of stability   During his five day visit in the United States of America, from October 14th to October 18th, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met in Washington with US President Donald Trump to discuss a wide range of bilateral and ...

    A broader strategy of Greek diplomacy for strengthening regional stability and cross-border cooperation   The Second Ministerial Meeting between Greece, Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia took place in Thessaloniki on October 4th-5th, with the participation of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Interior of ...

  Today Greek-Bulgarian relations are the driving force not only of Balkan cooperation, but also of our common effort to make South-Eastern Europe a core priority for the European Union, said visiting President of the Hellenic Parliament Nikos Voutsis, in his speech before the National Assembly of Bulgaria. Mr. Voutsis ...

Heads of State and Government sign Athens Declaration The Greek capital recently hosted the 1st Summit of the Heads of State from the Mediterranean European Union countries, culminating in a signed declaration stressing the need for unity within the European Union, in the wake of several major challenges. Leaders from ...

  Rhodes Conference for Security and Stability A political vision; to build stability, security, prosperity and peace   The first Conference for Security and Stability, a Greek initiative for creating an annual forum for open exchange of views, took place on 8th-9th September 2016 on the island of Rhodes, which ...

Presidents and Speakers of Parliament converge in Strasbourg   Reconnect Parliamentarians with the people: “people before profit” The Presidents and Speakers of Parliament from the 47 Council of Europe Member States met in Strasbourg on 15th-16th September to discuss the migration and refugee crisis, the role of national Parliaments in ...

  DIPLOMATIC PROFILE   “Ukraine is a European country with powerful potential” GDL: Your Excellency, can you please tell us how Ukraine finds itself on the eve of the 25th Anniversary of its Independence? VS: On August 24th, Ukraine celebrated the 25th Anniversary of its Independence. This year is an ...

‘Run into History’ The 2016 Nemean Games   As Rio counted down to its final days before the Olympic Games 2016 Opening Ceremony, the 6th modern revival of the Nemean Games also took place in Ancient Nemea with the participation of many of our diplomatic colleagues from around the world. ...

Greek and Chinese Leaderships reach broad consensus Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras paid a five-day Official Visit to China from July 2nd-6th at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, during which time he also met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (see below left), Chairman of the Standing Committee of the ...

The Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), on the occasion of the festive cultural year ‘Year of Greece’ in Russia and the ‘Year of Russia’ in Greece, as well as the Anniversary of 1,000 years of Russian monks’ presence on Mount Athos (1016-2016), presented the photo and engravings exhibition: «Athos. The ...

The expanded Panama Canal is now officially open for business after people from across the globe witnessed history being made on June 26th as a massive neopanamax vessel passed through the Agua Clara Locks on the Atlantic side of the country and concluded with its transit through the Cocoli Locks ...

Kyriakos Pozrikidis TIF-HELEXPO SA Managing Director             The 81st TIF aspires once more to serve as a celebration of entrepreneurship, internationalisation, innovation and recreation.   There will be 12 exhibitions inside one greater one, with other parallel significant and supportive events and attractions.   TIF-HELEXPO ...

1487 years after Emperor Justinian’s closure of the School of Athens in 529 AD, the ancient site of the Platonic Academy recently welcomed again philosophical debates and a ‘scientific walk’ on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the 3rd International Symposium on Restorative Justice under the theme ‘Disciplining and ...

“The Slovak Presidency will follow three mutually interconnected principles, aimed at achieving tangible results, showing to the European citizens that joint European projects have practical and positive impacts on their lives. We will focus on further overcoming fragmentation among members states, connecting them more closely to the single market and ...

  Intensification of cooperation; seeking a European spirit Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Davor Ivo Stier paid a working visit to the Hellenic Republic recently where he held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Kotzias. The two officials confirmed that it was in both ...

  Both countries “beacons of stability in the Balkans… contribute to the stability and security of the region” Greece and Montenegro intend to extend bilateral cooperation to more areas, especially in economic affairs, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and his visiting Montenegrin counterpart Srdjan Darmanovic said during a joint press conference ...

  On Friday, June 9th 2017, the closing event of the SOAM Programme – namely Supporting Organisations that Assist Migrant asylum seeking population in Greece – took place in Athens at the B&M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music. SOAM was funded by EEA Grants with IOM Greece ...

    Chief of IOM’s Mission in Greece, expresses satisfaction with the level of relocations being achieved today   The UN Migration Agency’s (IOM) office in Greece reports that, as of 30th April 2017, over 12,000 asylum seekers have been relocated from Greece to other European Union (EU) Member and ...

    There is a very good dynamic for the intensification of economic relations   Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias paid a visit to Algiers at the end of April during which time he met with the Algerian Foreign Minister, Ramtane Lamamra (pictured right), and the President of the Council of ...

    We must prevent Europe’s fragmentation; render it, once again, attractive to its citizens   Greek Foreign Minister’s Nikos Kotzias’ visit to Prague, on May 16th, took place at a special juncture for Europe where relations between Greece and the Czech Republic have prospects for improvement. The aim of ...

DIPLOMATIC PROFILE   “Inversely, as a country with a closeness and understanding of its southern neighbours and the Arab World, Malta seeks to be a trusted interlocutor and a voice sensitive to their realities within the European Union…”   “Undoubtedly, Migration and Brexit loom large in the immediate horizon as ...

  Parnitha is the perfect place for nature and hiking lovers, herb collectors and gambling fans. Everybody finds something interesting on Parnitha Mountain, which is the highest mountain in Attica (1,400m) and one of the most beautiful in Greece.   Ancient Greeks believed that the cloven-hoof god Pan used to ...

  Visit takes place at a crucial time for the EU and the Eurozone   German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following an invitation by Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, arrived in Athens on April 7th-8th on a two-day Official Visit to Greece during which, together with his Greek counterpart, opened the international ...

  “In Athens, Georgia feels closer to Europe, spiritually and culturally”   Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, along with Cabinet Ministers, MPs and a group of students, travelled to Athens at the end of March to celebrate the launch of the visa-free travel to the European Union in a symbolic gesture to mark ...

Parliament Heads sign a Memorandum of Cooperation raising the level of relations   The excellent level of Greek-Serbian relations and the further development of cooperation between the two countries’ Parliaments were reaffirmed by the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament Nicholas Voutsis and visiting President of the National Assembly of the ...

  Cooperation between the two countries is more productive now than ever before     Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias visited Cyprus at the end of last month to represent the Greek Government at the annual student parade to mark the Greek Independence Day on Saturday March 25th. Whilst in Nicosia, ...

  Kotzias: “Greek-British relations are historic and with a great future”     The relations between Greece and the United Kingdom are historic, long-term and with a great future, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said during a joint press conference with his British counterpart, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Boris ...

  Canada joins in the celebrations to mark the National Day of Greece     Deputy Foreign Minister Terens Quick, who visited Canada within the context of Canada’s 150th Anniversary and 75 years of Greek-Canadian diplomatic relations – attending events held by the Greek Embassy and by the Greek Communities ...

  On April 2nd, the 3rd annual meeting of UNESCO’s European Network of National Committees commenced with a concert and was held at the Rotunda of Saint George in Thessaloniki, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Greetings and speeches by Minister of Culture and Sports Lydia Koniordou, Deputy Minister of ...

  DIPLOMATIC PROFILE   “The decision of the EU Member States to open the European Union borders for Georgian citizens is an acknowledgment of the effectiveness of Georgian reforms in many spheres, be it strengthening of democratic institutions, fundamental freedoms and human rights, or economic freedom and sustainable development… We ...

  A twist in our perceptions about adventure and envoy   By H.E. Ambassador Dimitris Hatzopoulos, Director, MoFA Directorate for South America and the Caribbean   ‘The Odyssey’ is the tale of the homecoming of Odysseus amid hardship and adventure, in a remarkable convergence of reality and fiction. It is ...

  Greece & Saudi Arabia reaffirm longstanding relationship     The Official Visit of the President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos to Saudi Arabia paved the way for reigniting a new era of bilateral relations.   The visit of President Pavlopoulos to Riyadh included a series of meetings with King ...

  Greece is a beacon of stability in the region   Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias visited Washington DC on March 13th-14th for a series of meetings with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Security Advisor Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, representatives of the administration, Members of Congress, representatives of the ...

  “coalition of the willing” to seek more social Europe   Malta and Greece have pledged to work more closely even in a “coalition of the willing” to seek more social Europe. On March 1st, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras received his Maltese counterpart Joseph Muscat holding discussions on a variety ...

  “Greek-French cooperation can pass to a much more essential phase”   Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed Greece and France’s close ties, solidarity and mutual support, during their meeting on March 3rd in Athens. France’s support to the great challenges that Greece faced has ...

President of the Hellenic Parliament Nikos Voutsis visited Rome to participate in the extraordinary meeting of EU Parliamentary Presidents held for the 60-year Anniversary from the signing of the Founding Treaty of Rome. The Conference took place on March 16th-17th and was hosted by the Italian House and Senate. “The ...

Relations between Greece and Georgia are strategic   Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias paid a two-day visit to Georgia where he met with President of Georgia Georgi Margvelashvili, Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, President of the Georgian Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze and his counterpart Mikheil Janelidze. During his stay, the Greek Foreign Minister ...

  Armenia places great weight on Greece’s contribution in efforts for closer dialogue   Foreign Minister of the Hellenic Republic Nikos Kotzias carried out an Official Visit to Armenia on March 8th-10th upon the invitation of Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian in which the two heads of diplomacy were said ...

  Germany is determined to fight for the cohesion of Europe   On March 23rd, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias met at the Foreign Ministry with the Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, Sigmar Gabriel. Following their one-on-one meeting, they made joint statements to the news media ...

  Greece “can certainly count on our support in the coming years”   International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Deputy Director General, Ambassador Laura Thompson, travelled to Greece on a three-day Official Visit between 14th-16th March 2017, stating that the IOM was making a great effort in the European Union, not ...

  Diplomatic Profile   “We can say with certainty that the current political dialogue between our countries is characterised by an unprecedented intensity, which fully reflects the stepping up of the bilateral cooperation in various fields…”   “The ‘synchronisation of watches’ between the Foreign Ministries of our countries plays an ...

  Countries face common challenges in the economy and migration Italian President Sergio Mattarella and the leadership of Greece called for stronger cooperation among European countries to collectively and effectively face the common challenges of the economic and refugee crises. Greece and Italy share common ideals for the future of ...

  Closer Greek-Japanese relations reaffirmed   The State Foreign Minister of Japan, Nobuo Kishi, paid an Official Visit to Greece from January 14th-16th, during which time he met with Alternate Foreign Minister George Katrougalos, the President of Greek-Japanese Friendship Group of the Hellenic Parliament, Vice President of the New Democracy ...

  On January 1st, Malta became the smallest country ever to take on the six month rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU. The priorities of the Maltese Presidency are driven by the objective to restore trust in the EU, the need for dialogue and reflection on the EU’s future, ...

Israel and the Palestinians called upon to embrace a two-state solution as the only route to peace   The Mideast Peace Conference took place in Paris on January 15th, calling for Israel and the Palestinians to embrace a two-state solution as the only route to peace. Attended by representatives from ...