Athens hands baton over to United Arab Emirates as UNESCO Book Capital City

Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister Markos Bolaris, is currently in the United Arab Emirates where he attended a ceremony on Tuesday which saw the capital Sharjah take over from Athens as World Book Capital City of UNESCO.

According to diplomatic sources, the event began with the unveiling of the World Book Capital City Memorial at the Sharjah University Campus, where Bolaris handed over the institution's presidency. At a formal dinner on Monday, the deputy Foreign Minister delivered an address by Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos.

Bolaris had previously held a meeting with H.H. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, the sovereign ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah and the Greek Orthodox Bishop Gregory of Emirates (Patriarchate of Antioch), and discussed how to further strengthen relations and ties between the Greek community and the church. The UAE's current efforts to boost religious tolerance was also discussed.

On Monday, the Deputy FM had a meeting with the administrative and educational staff at the Center for the Greek Language (CGL) in Dubai, aiming at enriching cultural activities both within the CGL and together with the Greek community.

Finally, the Greek Deputy Foreign Minister met with the head of Greece's Economic and Commercial Affairs Office in Dubai, where he was briefed on the economic and business relations between the two countries.