New High Commissioner of Cyprus in Australia welcomed to Canberra at luncheon

·

The Cyprus Community of Canberra welcomed the new High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in Australia, Antonis Sammoutis, on Sunday with a spring lunch event at the Hellenic Club in Woden.

The event was attended by over 100 people including a number of officials such as the Deputy Head of Mission at the Cyprus High Commission, Stavros Nikolaou; the Ambassador of Greece to Australia, George Papakostas; the Federal Member for Adelaide, Steve Georganas MP; the Defence Attaché at the Embassy of Greece, Colonel Ioannis Fasianos; Reverend Father Athanasios; the President of the Cyprus Community of Canberra and President of the Pan-Australian Justice for Cyprus Coordinating Committee (PASEKA), Georgia Alexandrou; the President of the Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Canberra (GOCCC), John Loukadellis; and the Vice President of the Hellenic Club, Jim Andriopoulos; among many others.

During the event, these official guests and all attendees were able to speak with the new High Commissioner whilst enjoying a lunch prepared by the Hellenic Club, as well as desserts by Yiayia’s Bakery.

A number of speeches were also given by Cypriot High Commissioner Sammoutis, Ambassador Papakostas, Mr Georganas, and Ms Alexandrou.

In his speech, the High Commissioner thanked everyone for their warm welcome and congratulated the Cypriot community in Australia for being “an example of successful integration in this country.”

Ambassador Papakostas spoke next and praised the Cyprus Community for hosting the successful spring lunch event, before Mr Georganas took to the floor.

Mr Georganas spoke openly in his speech about a parliamentary motion he has been working on with PASEKA regarding the Cyprus issue. The Adelaide MP said he tabled the motion to Australian Parliament on Monday, September 5.

Last to speak was Ms Alexandrou who referred to the long history of the small Cypriot Community of Canberra, and also congratulated Cypriot youth for their recent involvement in national and global NEPOMAK conferences for the diaspora.

The event concluded with a number of dance performances by the Apollo Group of the Canberra Hellenic Dancers.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Your most read The Greek Herald stories in 2024

We’re coming to the end of 2024 and there have been some fantastic stories by The Greek Herald which have captured your attention.

Costa Georgiadis places a $34 million price tag on his beard in candid interview

Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis recently shared personal insights on everything from his iconic beard to his love for moths.

St Sophia and Three Daughters Parish spreads cheer with 1,000 meals for the homeless

'Feed the People' brought a heartwarming Christmas celebration to Martin Place on Monday, delivering over 1000 meals to those in need.

Filomena Kyriacou fails to delay legal battle over unpaid loans on mental health grounds

Filomena Kyriacou, previously mentioned in high-profile tax fraud cases, is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with the Commonwealth Bank

Karpathian Progressive Association of Australia celebrates its 65-year rich history

In September 2024, the Karpathian Progressive Association of Australia (KPA) marked a major milestone by turning 65.

You May Also Like

Two stolen ancient Greek vases returned to Greece from Switzerland

Two marble vases that once marked ancient Athenians' graves over 2,000 years ago have been returned to Greece from Switzerland.

NSW announce plans to phase out stamp duty as state records $16 billion budget deficit

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will undertake the state’s biggest tax reform in decades with stamp duty to be phased out to boost the economy as NSW records a historic $16 billion budget deficit.

Greek Community of Melbourne students excel at Greek Public Speaking Festival

Students from the Greek Community of Melbourne Schools achieved significant recognition at Greek Public Speaking Festival.