Greece’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs responsible for the Greek diaspora, Ioannis Loverdos, visited Canberra yesterday and today before departing for Melbourne, as part of his tour of Australia and New Zealand.
The Deputy Minister is accompanied by senior officials from Athens: Athanasios Balerbas and Dimitrios Karnavos, Secretaries-General of the Interior Ministry, and Katerina Ouli, Director-General for Citizenship.
While in Canberra, Loverdos visited Federal Parliament, meeting with MPs Steve Georganas and David Smith, in the presence of Greece’s Ambassador to Australia, Stavros Venizelos. According to the Embassy, discussions, held in a warm atmosphere, covered bilateral issues and highlighted the Greek community’s significant contribution to Australia’s political, social and economic life.
Speaking to Neos Kosmos, Georganas said he was pleased to host Loverdos at Parliament alongside Smith, a member of the Australia–Greece Parliamentary Friendship Group.
“It was an honour to discuss a range of matters, including the proposed visit to Australia by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis next year, a double taxation agreement, and interest in a health cooperation memorandum between Greece and Australia,” Georganas said, adding that Greek language retention in Australia was also a key topic.
He also briefed the Deputy Minister on the Athens–Adelaide sister-city memorandum and other diaspora issues.
The Greek delegation attended an evening reception at the Embassy on Tuesday, joined by many community members. Guests included Georganas, former Australian Ambassador to Greece Arthur Spyrou, and Greece’s Honorary Consuls Ioannis Anichtomatis (Darwin) and Zisis Antoniadis (Newcastle).
Next stops: Melbourne and Tasmania
Loverdos will hold a series of meetings in Melbourne with senior Victorian Government officials and Greek community organisations before travelling to Tasmania on Saturday morning.
Before Canberra, the delegation visited Brisbane, where Loverdos met Bartholomew of Brisbane, accompanied by Ambassador Venizelos, Honorary Consul George Mastrokostas, Messrs Balerbas and Karnavos, and Ouli.
He then met members of the diaspora at the Greek Orthodox Community and Church of St George, Brisbane, speaking with president Frida Valassakis, and later visited the Greek Orthodox Community and Church of St Anna on the Gold Coast, meeting president Sandra Voukelatos.
Loverdos thanked the Queensland Greek community for preserving Hellenic identity, customs and traditions, assuring them that Greece “stands with its diaspora” and is taking concrete initiatives to strengthen ties with the homeland. He also met Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, who praised the Greek community’s contribution to the city.
A highlight of the visit was the oath ceremony for two new Greek citizens of Greek-Australian background at the Honorary General Consulate in Brisbane, with the Deputy Minister proudly administering the oath and welcoming them as citizens of Greece.
New Zealand leg
Prior to Australia, the tour included New Zealand, concluding in Auckland with a meeting between Loverdos and Minister Paul Goldsmith (Culture & Heritage; Justice; Media & Communications; and Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations). Both sides underscored the excellent bilateral relations and the bridge role played by the Greek community.
The delegation also visited the Holy Trinity Christian Greek Orthodox Church of Auckland, attending services with parishioners and discussing community issues in a warm exchange, reaffirming that the Greek state is close to its diaspora.
