Greek Consul in Mariupol returns to Greece after successful evacuation from Ukraine

·

Greece’s Consul General in Mariupol, Ukraine arrived at Athens International Airport on Sunday, following an evacuation operation from the besieged and heavily bombarded city.

Manolis Androulakis was greeted by his wife, 7-month-old son and his father, as well as Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Andreas Katsaniotis.

Speaking to media at the airport, Androulakis said “the real heroes are the people that have stayed in Ukraine and will try to build up their lives back from nothing.”

READ MORE: Russian shelling damages Consulate of Greece in Ukrainian city of Mariupol

Androulakis with Katsaniotis.

“I have been dealing with Russia for 20 years…what is happening is a tragedy both for the Ukrainian and the Russian people…” he said, whilst pleading for a ceasefire to evacuate civilians and protect lives.”

Androulakis, along with local staff from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and their families, were first evacuated from Mariupol on Thursday. The convoy first travelled westward to the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, before arriving in Moldova and now Greece.

READ MORE: Greek Mariupol Consul General reaches Zaporizhzhia amid evacuation operation.

Androulakis thanked the leadership and officials at the Ministry, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry and the OSCE that made the “humanitarian convoy” trip possible.

Media conference at Athens Airport.

He also thanked the families, unknown to him, who put him up at their homes during his way out of the war-torn country.

Androulakis was the last EU diplomat who stayed behind in Mariupol to assist the evacuation of Greeks and ethnic Greeks.

Speaking at the airport, Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister welcomed Androulakis to Athens and thanked him for his service in Mariupol.

Greece offers to rebuild bombed maternity hospital in Ukraine:

This successful evacuation operation comes as Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said on Friday that Greece is ready to rebuild a maternity hospital destroyed last week by Russian shelling in Mariupol. 

READ MORE: Russian attack destroys maternity hospital in Mariupol as Greece ramps up evacuations.

“I want to express my abhorrence for what is happening in Ukraine and in Mariupol in particular, which has become a symbol of resistance. You know of our specific interest, as there are more than 100,000 Ukrainians of Greek decent living there,” Mitsotakis began during a meeting with the PM’s of Italy, Spain and Portugal.

“As a minimum show of support, once the hostilities are over, the Greek government will take on the reconstruction of the maternity hospital in Mariupol that was bombed.”

Photo: Twitter via Mstyslav Chernov.

In response, the Parliament of Ukraine thanked Greece on Friday for its pledge.

“Thank you for your support!” tweeted the Ukrainian parliament in its official account (Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine), including emojis of Greek and Ukrainian flags and a handshake.

READ MORE: Ukrainian President assured of Greece’s ‘full support’ during phone call with Greek PM.

Source: Ekathimerini.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

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

Advertisement

Latest News

Kay Pavlou’s ‘Two Homelands’ documentary to be screened in Melbourne

Director Kay Pavlou is taking TWO HOMELANDS in February 2025 to the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

ATHENA olive oil competition celebrates 10th anniversary

The ATHENA International Olive Oil Competition (ATHENA IOOC) is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2025.

George Karlaftis on a quest for a third straight Super Bowl

George Karlaftis is no stranger to success. At 23, he has already won two Super Bowls and is now chasing a historic third straight title.

From Sydney to San Sebastián: 10,700 kilometers of passion for PAOK

Among the more than 2,000 PAOK fans who traveled to San Sebastián for the match against Sociedad, one supporter stood out for his journey.

Decree issued for crematorium in Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki is set to become home to Greece’s second crematorium following the official publication of a presidential decree.

You May Also Like

Passenger arrested for smoking in toilet of Ryanair flight to Greece

A passenger on a flight from Germany to Greece has been arrested for having a smoke in the plane’s toilet.

Seminar on Greek role in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs to be held in Melbourne

A seminar, titled The Role of Greeks in the Decipherment of Egyptian Hieroglyphs, will be held in Melbourne on Thursday, June 8 at 7pm.

Greek Foreign Minister says situation in Gaza needs immediate action

Greece’s Foreign Minister Mr George Gerapetritis has expressed his deep concern regarding the ongoing situation in Gaza.