Within the framework of his tour of Australia, Deputy Foreign Minister Kyriakos Gerontopoulos met in Sydney on Tuesday, 25 March, at the seat of the Archdiocese, with Archbishop Stylianos of Australia. Mr. Gerontopoulos was briefed on the important ecclesiastical, educational, cultural and national work the Archdiocese carries out, as well as on the problems that exist, and he thanked the Archbishop for his many years of work, expressing support for the efforts he has been making in Australia for many decades now.
Earlier, in Canberra, Mr. Gerontopoulos marked Greek Independence Day, laying a wreath at the Hellenic Memorial, in the presence of members of the Greek Australian community, and visited the St. Nikolaos pre-school, which the Greek community built and operates at its own expense. He also visited the Hellenic Club, which is a point of reference for the Greek Australian community of Canberra.
Subsequently, Mr. Gerontopoulos visited the Federal Parliament, meeting with Greek Australia Federal Senators Arthur Sinodinos and Nick Xenophon, and with Federal MPs Maria Vamvakinou and Nickolas Varvaris. He briefed them on the situation in Greece, particularly with regard to the economy, and on the course of our national issues, and together they looked at means of coordination and cooperation on assisting Greek Australians and, should the need arise, our homeland.
Finally, Mr. Gerontopoulos met with the board of the Greek Community of New South Wales, with whom he discussed the issues of Greek Australians in the Sydney area.
March 26, 2014