Trilateral Meeting of Greece-Cyprus-Egypt - Statements by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, T. Quick (Cairo, 10 January 2019)

The active involvement of the Greek youth abroad in its second homelands, as well as the entrepreneurship of the Diaspora, are the two pillars of the "NOSTOS III" program agreed by Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt during the tripartite meeting in Cairo (10.01.2019).

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Terence Quick, the Cypriot Presidential Commissioner, Fotis Fotiou, and the Egyptian Minister of Immigration and Expatriate Affairs, Nabila Makram, have confirmed that the city of Melbourne, where Greeks Cypriots and Greeks from Egypt have remarkably large communities - Melbourne is the "third largest Greek city" in the world after Athens and Thessaloniki - will host the Program "NOSTOS III" on 25, 26 and 27 March. This will enable Messrs Quick and Fotiou to attend the events which will be held in Australia on 25 March, the National Day commemorating the 1821 Greek Revolution. On March 24, the two counterparts on Diaspora issues, will be in Adelaide for the Lauds, the laying of wreath and the anniversary events organised by the Community.

The latest details were discussed during a teleconference of the Greek Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Cypriot Commissioner and the Egyptian Minister, with the President of the Greek Community of Melbourne, Vasilis Papastergiadis, in view of the fact that all the activities of the "NOSTOS III" Program will take place in the impressive building of the Greek Community of Melbourne.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered the following speech:

"I am particularly pleased that, after Alexandria, and London last October, in the presence of the Presidents of our three countries, for its third phase, the NOSTOS Program, has opted for the city of Melbourne."

And I would like to thank particularly the Hellenic Community of Melbourne and its President Vasilis Papastergiadis who, in consultation with us and with our diplomatic Authorities, has accepted to host the individual units of "NOSTOS III" in the Hellenic House of Melbourne.

I am certain that as the Cypriot Community handled the organisation of "NOSTOS II" in London in the most perfect manner, the Hellenic Community in Melbourne, will do as much with NOSTOS III by offering it its maximum assistance.

And it is very important that in these actions undertaken by the Hellenes abroad, we have with us our very important allies from Egypt, with whom we have an excellent cooperation.

Moreover, the tripartite co-operation of the three countries at all levels, especially at the Summit level, is of a high standard in the field of security of the region, energy, economic and cultural cooperation, and in any area that can show the determination of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt to play a leading role for peace and progress in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond. And no one should be indifferent to the fact that in all their latest meetings, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Presidents Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Nikos Anastasiadis, have included on their agenda and underscored in their official announcements the importance issues of Diaspora".