Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yiannis Loverdos visited Düsseldorf, Aachen and Bonn in Germany, where he held meetings with representatives of the Greek diaspora, as well as with ecclesiastical and educational institutions. The federal state of North Rhine–Westphalia is home to what is possibly the largest Greek community in Europe (approximately 150,000 people).
Meetings were held with representatives of Greek communities and of educational, cultural and regional associations active in North Rhine–Westphalia, the most populous and economically powerful federal state in Germany. Mr. Loverdos met with Greek municipal councillors, representatives of Greek-German friendship associations and the Association of Greek Doctors, which, notably, has more than 2,000 members. He further met with prominent members of the Greek diaspora active in the business sector.
These meetings gave members of the Greek community the opportunity to present their activities and outline the main issues concerning them. Mr. Loverdos congratulated them on their constructive presence and their long-standing, fruitful coexistence with the German people. He took note of the requests raised by representatives of the diaspora and referred to the recent, historic reform concerning Greeks abroad. The new legislation introduces, for the first time, postal voting for voters residing outside the country in national elections and establishes an electoral constituency for Greeks abroad.
During his stay, Mr. Loverdos visited the Greek primary school and secondary school in Düsseldorf, where he spoke with students and parents. He praised the excellent work carried out by the teaching staff and noted the specific issues concerning them.
On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the Deputy Minister attended the Doxology at the Church of Saint Andrew in Düsseldorf, together with a large congregation. On the same day, he travelled to Aachen, where he met with Bishop Eumenios of Lefka.
Mr. Loverdos then travelled to Bonn, where he met with the Metropolitan of Germany, Augustinos. With more than fifty years of pastoral service in Germany, he has become a key point of reference for Orthodox Greeks in the country.
While in Bonn, the Deputy Minister visited the Greek Service of Deutsche Welle, following the recent announcement about the discontinuation of the Greek-language programme. The Directors of the Balkan departments, as well as the Director of European Programmes, Adelheid Gelicke, attended part of the meeting. Mr. Loverdos stated that the Greek Government will make every possible effort to urge Deutsche Welle’s management to reconsider this decision.
In Düsseldorf, the Deputy Minister met with the Mayor of the city, Stephan Keller, to discuss opportunities for further cooperation and cultural initiatives. He expressed his gratitude for the Mayor’s role in renewing the lease agreement for the Greek school.
Throughout his visit, Mr. Loverdos had the chance to meet with the following people of Greek origin: C. Katsidis, who is the only member of the Parliament of North Rhine–Westphalia with Greek roots, I. Zacharaki, who serves as the Deputy Mayor of Solingen and President of the Network of Elected Local Government Officials of Europe, K. Papakostopoulos, who is the founder of the Greek-German Theatre of Cologne and M. Patentali, who is the President of the Association of Greek Writers in Germany. Finally, Mr. Loverdos met with the philhellene publishers Engelbergs-Kater.
March 6, 2026