Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has expressed his Christmas well-wishes for the "dynamic and prosperous" Greek-Australian community.
In a message given to The Greek Herald, the Corfu-born diplomat stressed the “dynamic and prosperous” Greek-Australian are "now an integral part of Australian society and contributors to the progress and prosperity of Australia."
The foreign minister stressed that Greek-Australians "make us proud with their presence in the country that welcomed them when they immigrated from Greece."
“With their systematic promotion and support of Greece’s positions, our expatriates become ‘ambassadors’ of our country and contribute to the further strengthening of our already strong ties of friendship and cooperation with Australia," he continued.
Greece's top diplomat also attributed the strong bonds between Greece and Australia due to “common principles and values,” as well as the “historical ties” forged during the First and Second World Wars.
Dendias concluded his message by sending his well wishes for “health, prosperity and happiness” to the Greek Australian community for Christmas.
It is recalled that the Greek foreign minister welcomed his Australian counterpart Marise Payne in December 2021. This was Payne's first and only official visit to Athens as a foreign minister. Payne was re-elected as a senator in the 2022 federal election, she ultimately re-entered parliament in the opposition.
"Greece and Australia are working to further deepen their friendship and cooperation building on their strong commitment to fundamental values and principles and on close people-to-people ties," the Greek Foreign Ministry said in a post on Twitter at the time.
For his part, Dendias said in a joint press statement with Payne that "Greece-Australia relations are timeless and are based on unbreakable bonds of friendship that have been forged between our peoples."
"We are especially proud of the Greeks who immigrated to Australia, were integrated and contributed to the progress and prosperity of their new homeland," he continued.
"Greece and Australia continue to defend the observance of International Law and especially the Law of the Sea, the need for peaceful settlement of disputes & the prohibition of the threat of use of force, as explicitly stated in the Charter of the United Nations," he added.
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