Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ statement during the ceremony for the opening of the Greek Embassy in Dakar (Dakar, 23.02.2022)

Your Excellency Minister of Foreign Affairs,

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

(Greeting in French)

For us, if you allow me to say, this is a great honor.

Greece and Senegal have been linked for years now. And I have to say that President Léopold Senghor is a household name in Greece. He was not only a great President of Senegal. He was a great Philhellene, a friend of the Greeks.

And we saw that we could cement this relationship between Greece and Senegal by starting today a next big step, which as our Ambassador underlined, will take us very far away.

We understand how important Senegal is in Africa, not only in the francophone Africa, but in Africa in general. And the fact that Senegal holds the Presidency of the African Union is a great proof of this conclusion.

And I have to say that I am so happy and deeply moved by the fact that, in this great moment for us your Excellency, we have present the Ambassadors of our friends, partners and family: the Ambassadors of the EU.

Because we deeply believe that the EU is one of the most proud achievements in the history of humanity. And we would very much like to play our own small role in cementing also the relation between Senegal and the EU, our family.

Thank you for your presence here. I am so happy to be here today.

Ambassador, congratulations and thank you for your hard work in opening an Embassy. I have never been an Ambassador, but I assume that this is quite difficult thing for an Ambassador to do.

It is a great pleasure and a great honour.