Many English speakers will tell you that Greek surnames can be a nightmare to get right and even Britain’s top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, slipped on that banana when she referred to her Greek counterpart on social media as Nikos Vertis.
In one pesky tweet, she unwittingly elevated the popular Greek singer Vertis to the status of Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs ignoring the fact that the man she actually met in London on Monday to discuss the Ukraine crisis and to offer him condolences for the deaths of ethnic Greeks in that country was Nikolas Dendias.
The gaffe that caused a bit of a storm in teacup was the result of incorrectly tagging Mr Vertis on Twitter and Facebook instead of Mr Dendias. Presumably Ms Truss is a fan of the Greek singer.
It took an hour before Ms Truss posted a correction – time enough for critics on social media to point out the error of her Greek ways.
It should be noted that Mr Dendias made no gaffe in his tweet about the meeting and correctly identified his British counterpart the first time.
In the meeting, Kathimerini reported that the ministers discussed the Ukraine crisis and ways in which the two countries could cooperate in efforts to end the war. They also spoke on the defence provisions and other issues relating to the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the two nations in October in the wake of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.
The ministers also spoke about the Western Balkans and eastern Mediterranean and Britain’s role in the region.
Mr Dendias thanked his counterpart for her support of Greek sovereignty over the Aegean islands following Turkish calls to demilitarise them. He then invited Ms Truss to visit Greece.
