Slovakia Opens Honorary Consulate in Thessaloniki (2)

Thessaloniki/Bratislava, 22 May (TASR) - State Secretary of the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry Marek Estok officially opened Slovakia's honorary consulate in Thessaloniki on Wednesday, TASR has learnt from the ministry's communications department. This step is aimed at actively strengthening economic cooperation with Greece, while also providing support to Slovak tourists, as Thessaloniki is one of the country's most popular destinations for Slovaks, said Estok. The aim of the state secretary's working visit to Thessaloniki and subsequently to Athens is to further develop the close Slovak-Greek partnership, which, according to the ministry, will be significantly supported by Slovakia's new honorary consul Dimitrios Papastavrou. "I'm pleased with his commitment to contributing towards development investment and economic cooperation between our countries. I'm also glad that Mr Papastavrou is ready to support the activities of the Slovak expatriate community living in the regions of Central, Western and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, which fall under the jurisdiction of the new consulate," said Estok. Estok began his working visit in Thessaloniki, the birthplace of Saints Cyril and Methodius, where he met mayor Stelios Angeloudis and thanked him for maintaining the monument to the saints in Slovakia Park. Together, they laid a wreath at the memorial plaque dedicated to the city in 2013 to mark the 1,150th anniversary of the brothers' arrival on Slovak territory. The state secretary then visited the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Slovakia Park. "This heritage forms one of the fundamental pillars of Slovak national identity. It's also an integral part of the spiritual and cultural life of Slovaks and all Slavic peoples, which is why Saints Cyril and Methodius are co-patrons of Europe," said Estok, noting that Thessaloniki therefore holds exceptional historical significance for modern Slovakia. Estok also met Deputy Interior Minister for Macedonian and Thracian Affairs Konstantinos Gioulekas, and Katerina Tsapikidis, Director of International Relations at the Thessaloniki branch of the Hellenic Foreign Affairs Ministry. On Thursday, Estok is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting in Athens with Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou, and on Friday he'll meet Director of the Prime Minister's Office and Greece's EU advisor Miltiadis Nikolaidis. lin/df