Thank you so much, my dear friend,
Your excellency, dear Ambassador
Dear Commissioner, dear Speaker, dear Minister, distinguished Ambassadors and guests,
I would like to warmly welcome you to this event dedicated to the African Union and Africa, “A home for hope”, as the UN Secretary General characterized Africa, citing the continent’s young and vibrant population.
It is a great pleasure to be joined by Mrs. Sacko, Commissioner of the African Union.
I am also honored by the participation of Mr. Muturi, Speaker of the National Assembly of Kenya; and Mr. Haritatos, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
My congratulations to the Ambassador of South Africa and the Ambassadors of the African group in Athens for today’s program, in cooperation with our Ministry, and I am glad to have the opportunity to address Ambassadors accredited to Greece, whom I met personally a few months ago in Rome.
I also wish to thank the Ambassador of Egypt, a dear friend, for his very kind words.
The African Union has undoubtedly acted, since its foundation, as a unifying force for the African continent.
Greece is inspired by Africa’s diversity, Africa’s ability to overcome traumas of the past. We acknowledge the vast potential and dynamism of the continent, but also the challenges, especially linked to food security, recently exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.
Greece is actively participating in initiatives within the United Nations on food security.
We have worked consistently to strengthen our political, economic and cultural relations on equal terms.
We always stand ready to assist our African partners to overcome challenges and to cooperate in order to create synergies beneficial to all, having intensified our efforts recently, through an active engagement in the African continent.
A testament of this engagement were my visits to several Sub-saharan countries in the past few months. In February I visited Senegal, where, as the Ambassador was too kind to remark, Greece opened an Embassy not long ago; the latter is concrete proof of our interest in developments in the Sahel.
In January, I was in Angola and Nigeria. In November of 2021 I visited Rwanda, Ghana and Gabon.
This month I had the honor to host in Athens the Foreign Ministers of Kenya and Rwanda.
During my contacts, I expressed Greece’s solidarity through efforts to confront the pandemic, by systematically donating millions of vaccine doses.
We have also contributed in financing projects in line with our UN initiatives on youth and sports, amongst other fields. A sports school in Luanda, Angola, the Special Olympics team in Senegal and an organization on the educative inclusion of children in Capo Verde, in association with UNICEF. A community school in Ghana, an IMO project in Niger and the Rwanda Governance Board. These are only some of the beneficiaries that we support. Not to mention a 500.000 euros UNHCR project in Libya supporting a football team of asylum seekers and refugees from sub-saharan Africa funded exclusively by Greece.
Greek communities in Africa and African communities in Greece, play a vital role in promoting friendship and collaboration.
One of the most famous players in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a proud example of what it means to be an African Greek.
Focusing on this year’s theme, besides climate change and other factors, the ongoing war in Ukraine is threatening food supplies worldwide. We now witness firsthand the dire repercussions we all must endure from blatant violations of international law in Ukraine. In this respect, Greece, as an EU member-state, is a strong advocate of strengthening relations with the African continent.
After all, between Greece and North Africa is the Mediterranean Sea, historically not a barrier, but a conduit of connectivity between our two continents.
The latest and very fruitful EU-AU Summit in February led to the adoption of an investment package of 150 bil. euros for Africa; as well as, to the provision of 450 million vaccine doses from Europe.
I would like to conclude by saying that in Greece you will always find a friend and a partner; In tackling challenges, but also in cooperating towards a prosperous Africa.
I would like to thank you wholeheartedly for attending this event.
I will now give the floor to the next speaker H.E. Ms. Sisulu, Ambassador of South Africa.
Thank you so much.
Source: Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs