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Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-05-26
CONTENTS
[01] Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis concludes Australia tour with
visit to Darwin
[01] Greek Prime Minister Karamanlis concludes Australia tour with
visit to Darwin
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis concluded a six-day official
tour of Australia on Saturday with a visit to Darwin where he met with
Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin. Darwin has a Greek
community of 10,000, of which about 70 per cent originate from the
Greek island of Kalymnos. Karamanlis, who received a warm welcome by
the Greek community, said in a brief speech that "my visit in this city
marks the end of a very successful visit to Australia, during which we
had the opportunity to reconfirm the historical bonds between the two
countries, to further develop bilateral relations and meet with the
Greek-Australian communities." Karamanlis thanked Australiaâs
Hellenism, stating that "I want to confirm that upon my departure, I
feel even more proud and more optimistic about the Greeks everywhere."
He described as "very important" the Greek communityâs contribution "to
the economic, social and political life in Australia's Northern
Territory."
The Greek prime minister reminded that the first Greeks from Kalymnos
and Kastelorizo arrived in Darwin in the early 20th Century, saying
that in the early 21st Century, distinguished Greek-Australians served
in senior political posts, including in the position of governor and
ministers in local government.
"All these factors honor Greece in the great and friendly country which
hosts you and makes us proud of all of you. Itâs particularly important
that the bonds between modern Greece and the northern regions of
Australia are being strengthened from generation to generation. The
fact that Kalymnos had been twinned with Darwin since 1982 has symbolic
but also practical importance. Itâs a firm basis of friendship and
cooperation, which is continuously strengthened," Karamanlis concluded
in his address.
Martin later hosted a reception in honor of Karamanlis.
At noon on Saturday, the Greek prime minister, who was accompanied by
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and Deputy Foreign Minister
Theodoros Kassimis, departed Darwin for Hanoi, Vietnam.
Caption: ANA-MPA file photo of Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.
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