After Brisbane, Greece’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Loverdos, will be in Canberra today and tomorrow, with Melbourne set to be the next stop on his Australian tour.
Accompanying Loverdos are Athanasios Balerbas and Dimitrios Karnavos, Secretaries-General of the Ministry of Interior, as well as Katerina Ouli, the Ministry’s Director-General for Citizenship.
Following Melbourne, the Greek delegation will travel to Tasmania, Adelaide, and finally Perth, from where they will depart for Greece on Thursday, 23 October.
Before Brisbane, the delegation had visited Sydney and New Zealand.
Strengthening bonds with New Zealand
The Deputy Minister’s visit to New Zealand concluded in Auckland with a meeting with Paul Goldsmith, Minister for Culture and Heritage, Justice, Media and Communications, and Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations.
According to a post by the Embassy of Greece in Australia on Facebook, Loverdos and Goldsmith highlighted the long-standing excellent relations between the two countries and praised the significant contribution of the Greek community, which serves as a true bridge linking Greece and New Zealand.
Earlier, the Deputy Minister attended a service at the Holy Trinity Christian Greek Orthodox Church of Auckland, where he worshipped alongside members of the Greek diaspora and engaged in warm discussions on the issues that concern them, assuring them that the Greek State stands by their side.
He was accompanied by Ambassador Venizelos, Honorary Consul of Greece in New Zealand George Neonakis, along with Balerbas, Karnavos, and Ouli.
Meetings in Brisbane and the Gold Coast
In Brisbane, according to the Embassy of Greece in Canberra, Loverdos met with Bishop Bartholomew of Brisbane, joined by Ambassador Venizelos, Honorary Consul George Mastrokostas, Balerbas, Karnavos, and Ouli.
The Deputy Minister then visited the Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Saint George, where he met with President Frida Valassakis and members of the local Greek community.
Later, on the Gold Coast, he visited the Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Saint Anna, meeting with President Sandra Voukelatos.
Loverdos expressed heartfelt thanks to the Greek Australians of Queensland, who, with dedication, preserve their language, identity, and traditions. He reassured them that Greece has not forgotten them, remains close to them, and is taking concrete steps to help them maintain their strong connection to the homeland.
He also met with Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, who praised the contribution of the Greek community to the city.
A particularly moving moment came during the naturalisation ceremony of two young Australians of Greek descent at the Honorary Consulate-General of Greece in Brisbane, where Mr Loverdos personally read the oath with pride and emotion, officially welcoming them as Greek citizens.
