“Dear Mr. Mayor,
Mr. President,
Ms. Ambassador,
It is a great pleasure and honour for me to be here in Gelendzhik today.
I come here as Minister of Foreign Affairs, but allow me to say that somehow it makes me feel at home.
The bonds with this region are 2.500 years old. In fact, discussing with my friend the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei Lavrov, yesterday, when I mentioned I was coming to Gelendzhik, he was very well aware of the place. He told me, Mr. Mayor, how beautiful it is and that many Greeks live here.
The modern Greek state is 200 years old and Russia played a vital part in its creation. The Russian fleet, together with the French and British ones, defeated the Turkish-Egyptian fleet. And thus, following the Greek Revolution, a modern Greek state was created at last, after the hard war of the Greeks against the Ottoman Empire.
We have never forgotten our debt to Russia and Prime Minister Mishustin was in Athens to celebrate with us the 200 years of our Independence. Prime Minister Mitsotakis will reciprocate the visit. I hope he will visit Russia within the year and meet with President Putin.
Also, Ioannis Kapodistrias, the first governor of Greece, was Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Congress of Vienna where the European architecture was built after the Napoleonic Wars.
But all that is history. Now, let us look at the future together, with you being the bridge between Russia and modern Greece which is now entering its third century.
We will do our best to assist, equipping our Consulate in Novorossiysk with infrastructure that will allow for easier communication and better services, so you can visit your homeland, your second homeland, anytime you want. Also, we will try as much as possible to send Greek language teachers and educators in the region for those who wish to become acquainted with it and thus be able to follow the traditions of both countries.
I am afraid I bored you and this is unfair to the great honour you did me to be here today. You will allow me, however, to tire you a little more and greet all of you, so that I can say I had the honour of shaking your hand and getting to know each and every one of you personally.
Thank you for serving Russia, Greece and the Greek-Russian friendship.
Thank you very much.”