In a Financial Times article published on 28 January, reference is made to groundless claims regarding the existence of relations between Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and Russian professor Aleksandr Dugin. The article mentions the false claim that Mr. Kotzias invited Mr. Dugin to an event at the University of Piraeus. As stated in a denial issued by the University of Piraeus itself, Mr. Kotzias never invited Mr. Dugin to the lecture in question and, contrary to claims made in the article, never traveled to Moscow to meet with him.
The article also falsely states that a relevant statement was requested from Mr. Kotzias, but that he would not provide one. Basic journalistic ethics require that the writers of the article should have crosschecked and confirmed before the publishing of this unfounded information, which, reproduced on the internet and through other news media, is creating inaccurate and unfounded impressions.
January 29, 2015