Athens, 5 February 2008

Mr. Deputy Foreign Minister,

Mr. U.S. Ambassador to Greece,

Members of the diplomatic corps and the academic community,

Foreign and diplomatic correspondents,

Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

About three months ago, the Foreign Ministry and the Information and Public Diplomacy Department initiated an ambitious endeavour, under the auspices of the Foreign Minister.

To encourage public debate, in Greece, on foreign policy issues.

The aim of this initiative – the Ambassadors’ Forum – is to contribute to a serious and substantial exchange of views in order to improve knowledge and understanding of the truly complex issues addressed by foreign policy.

I welcome you to the second meeting of the Ambassadors’ Forum. I would like to thank you for responding to our invitation once again.

The guest speaker at today’s Ambassadors’ Forum is the new U.S. Ambassador to Athens, Mr. Daniel Speckhard.

Greece and the U.S. are allies, linked by strong, durable bonds of friendship and cooperation.

Our faith in common principles and values, our faith in democracy, our multifaceted bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as the large, flourishing and always active Greek community in the U.S., are some of the links in this strong relationship.

Of course, a chart of Greek-American relations would not show a constantly upward tendency. But despite any ‘disturbances’ or ‘corrections’, the general course of the indicators for Greek-U.S. relations has been an upward one.

This confirms that for allied and friendly relations to endure, constant nurturing is needed. Mutual respect and mutual benefits.

I’m sure that Ambassador Speckhard’s talk on American foreign policy – as well as the Q&A session to follow – will be of great interest.

I would also like to express my gratitude to Mr. Stathis Efstathiadis for agreeing to take on the demanding role of Q&A coordinator. The stature and experience of the ‘Dean’ of Greek journalism cannot but guarantee a substantial and constructive debate.

Finally, I would like to thank Deputy Foreign Minister Valinakis for honouring today’s Forum with his presence.

Mr. Deputy Foreign Minister, you have the floor.

Thank you.