Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Terens Quick concluded his trip to Australia where he met with Australian officials and those of the Greek diaspora, noting throughout all his meetings there was particular admiration for Greece within the community of Australia.
Mr Quick expressed his gratitude for Australia’s firm position on FYROM and for its compliance with the relevant UN resolutions on the name.
"Irrespective of the political discussion I had with everyone I met with from the government and the opposition, I got the same common denominator: their love and respect for Greece. The Prime Minister in particular, as he told me, learned Greek at the school he attended, and katharevousa at that.
Finally, I announced to the Australian-Greek Parliamentary Friendship Committee that we will be very pleased to support its plan for the creation of an ANZAC Museum in Limnos, to honour the Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians who fought in the First World War."
Mr Quick met with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Industry, Innovation and Science Minister Arthur Sinodinos - who requested cooperation with Greece in the innovation and technology sector – the head of the main opposition party, Bill Shorten, and shadow foreign minister Penny Wong.
Meeting also included those with parliamentarians of Greek extraction such as Julie Banks, Steve Georganas, Maria Vamvakinou and Nick Xenophon.
The minister’s meetings focused on international issues such as the Cyprus issue, Greek-Turkish relations, the course of the negotiations on the review and the debt, and other issues of mutual interest.
He also met with the newly set up Australia-Greece Friendship Committee, which is chaired by Julie Banks, who has family roots in Epirus and Kiato.
*Photo: Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister Terens Quick at the Welcome Wall at the Australian National Maritime Museum with the Greek Ambassador Ekaterini Xagorari and the Consul-General of Greece in Sydney Dr Stravros Kyrimis
