Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ address during his meeting with members of the Federation of Hellenic Communities of South Africa (Johannesburg, 24.01.2023)

Your Eminence if you allow me, please do not worry, as I do not deliver long speeches.

I would like to thank you warmly and from the bottom of my heart for the welcome, the feeling of warmth, felt from the very moment I shook hands, here in Johannesburg. I would also like to tell you how proud I am, and how proud the Government and the country is of you, of how you have  thrived literally over the years, so as to get to where we are today, through difficult circumstances, coming from a small country that was often in crisis, and very rarely able to stand by you and assist you.

The fact that you feel part of the wider Hellenism is significant for us. And I believe it is demonstrated in the clearest way that Hellenism is much broader and bigger than the narrow geographical boundaries of the Greek State. And we always address to this wider Hellenism, the bearer of our traditions, ethos, and identity in this world.

Thank you very much.