Greek MP with Kazakh origin supports efforts to develop Kazakhstan-Greek relations

On November 27, 2020, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to Greece Alexey Volkov met in Athens with a member of the Greek Parliament Maria Apatzidi, who was born in Shymkent (Kazakhstan) and is currently the youngest among Greek legislators.

During the conversation the parties discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Greece. The Ambassador of Kazakhstan acquainted the MP with the social and political reforms being carried out in the republic, the initiatives of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N. Nazarbayev, announced during the congress of the "Nur-Otan" party, as well as the progress and peculiarities of the voting campaign for the next elections to the Majilis (the lower chamber) of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, scheduled for January 10, 2021.

Apatzidi, in turn, spoke out for intensification of Kazakh-Hellenic cooperation, including through inter-parliamentary dialogue, as the epidemiological situation in both countries stabilizes. Being a native of Kazakhstan, the Greek MP also noted the increased interest of ethnic Greeks who returned to their historical homeland at the end of the last century to the socio-economic, political and cultural processes taking place in modern Kazakhstan, noting, in this regard, the potential for the development of ethnic tourism.

In addition, the Greek MP emphasized her commitment to support initiatives to further expand bilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and Greece. M. Apatzidi noted that one of recent examples of such support was the ratification by the Greek Parliament of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan and the Ministry of Tourism of Greece on cooperation in tourism, which was fully supported by the "Mera-25" party represented by her during the voting at the plenary session of the Greek legislative body.

At the end of the meeting the parties agreed to maintain contacts and outlined the prospects for further joint work to strengthen the Kazakh-Hellenic relations on a wide range of issues.