The new ambassador of Greece to Australia, George Papacostas, presented his credentials to the Governor General David Hurley in Canberra on Wednesday.
Before coming to Canberra, Mr Papacostas had served as Greece’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa.
Mr Papacostas was born in Athens on 13 August, 1965. He studied law at the University of Athens and joined the Greek Diplomatic Service in 1992.
Mr Papakostas has been posted to the embassies of Greece in Slovenia, Sweden, Armenia and the Permanent Mission of Greece to the European Union, Brussels. He speaks English and Greek.
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He replaces Ekaterini Xagorari who has served as the Greek Ambassador to Australia since January 2016.
Serving in Australia was her first role as a full ambassador. Ms Xagorari obtained a degree in political science and public administration from the National and Capodistrian University of Athens Law School’s Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration.
She joined the Greek Diplomatic Service in 1990 and served in a variety of roles, notably as Consul of Greece in Munich, Germany 1994-98, as Consul in Edirne, Turkey (1998-2001). Between 2003 and 2015, she served as First Counsellor to the Embassies of Greece in Ankara and Nicosia. In 2014 she was promoted to Minister Plenipotentiary, Second Class.
The role of Greek Ambassador to Australia includes serving as non-resident ambassador to New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Also as ambassador designate to Vanuatu, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, and Tonga.