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A historic inauguration took place on Friday, September 17, 2021 in Thessaloniki, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Professor Dr. Zdravko Krivokapić, who spoke warmly of the country’s Honorary Consul in Northern Greece, Dr. Vasilis G. Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Athens Medical Group and President of the Hellenic Entrepreneurs’ Association (E.ENE)

Stavros Kalafatis, Vasilis G. Apostolopoulos, Zdravko Krivokapic, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Ignatios Kaitezidis

The Consulate of Montenegro is housed in a specially designed space at the “Inter-Balkan Medical Center” in Thessaloniki and the inauguration celebration took place in a closed circle, in accordance with the current health protocols, in the presence of leading representatives of the Religious, political, self-administrative and business leadership of Northern Greece.

The consecration was personally performed by His Eminence Metropolitan Anthimos, and after the welcome by the host, Dr. Vasilis Apostolopoulos, Prime Minister Krivokapic took the floor, who underlined the importance of the symbolism of the Consulate for the orientation of his country, which has at its core the fastest possible integration into the European Union, but also the multi-level deepening of Montenegro’s bilateral relations with Greece, something to which he believes that both the Consulate and the Honorary Consul will contribute, personally, to whose great abilities and distinctive ethos he made special mention. The response from the Greek Government was made by the Deputy Minister of the Interior responsible for Macedonia-Thrace issues, Mr. Stavros Kalafatis, who conveyed the Greek Government’s support for the accession perspective of the Western Balkans and Montenegro in particular, and wished the government good luck in its reform work.

Ana Vukadinovic, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Vasilis G. Apostolopoulos, Zdravko Krivokapic, Stavros Kalafatis, Konstantinos Zervas, Alexander Stiovic, Ignatios Kaitezidis	Zdravko Krivokapic, Vasilis G. Apostolopoulos

The Prime Minister of Montenegro was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Resources Management of Montenegro, Mr. Aleksandar Stiović, and the closing of the event was held by Ms. Ana Vukandinović, Ambassador of Montenegro to Greece and Cyprus, who praised the work of the Honorary Consul. At the same time, Ms. Vukandinović underlined the importance of the Consulate in promoting business and cultural ties between the two countries, tourism and serving the citizens of the neighboring country.

Stavros Kalafatis, Zdravko Krivokapic, Vasilis G. Apostolopoulos, Alexander Stiovic	Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Zdravko Krivokapic, Stavros Kalafatis

The festive ceremony was honored with the presence of, among others, the Governor of Central Macedonia Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Mayor of Thessaloniki Konstantinos Zervas, the Mayor of Pylaia-Hortiatis and President of the PEDK Ignatios Kaitezidis, the founder of the Inter-Balkan Medical Center Dr. George Apostolopoulos, the Vice President of the Consular Corps in Greece Mr. Christos Vardikos, representatives of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and influential businessmen of Northern Greece.

Stavros Kalafatis, Alexander Stiovic, Zdravko Krivokapic	Aikaterini Tsapikidou, Stavros Kalafatis, Pavlos Efthymiou

In his statements, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Prof. Z. Krivokapic, among other things, stated: “The deepening of friendly relations between Greece and Montenegro is very important. Thessaloniki is a very important commercial and economic hub, and we are particularly proud of our Honorary Consul, Dr. Vasilis Apostolopoulos, who with great strength, determination and enthusiasm contributes to the promotion of bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries.”

Konstantinos Zervas, Ignatios Kaitezidis	Vassilis G. Apostolopoulos, Georgios V. Apostolopoulos, Christos Vardikos

The Honorary Consul, Dr. V. Apostolopoulos, thanked the Prime Minister for his presence and pledged to honor the trust placed in him, serving his position with consistency and diligence. Among other things, he stated that “in addition to serving the needs of the citizens of Montenegro who are in the region, together with the excellent ambassador, Ms. Vukandinovic, we will continue to work in order to achieve the further strengthening of the ties between the two countries at the political, economic, religious and cultural levels. I will try with all my strength to support the European perspective of the country of Montenegro.”

Angelos Perilis, Fotini Ofidou, Maria Atmatzidou, Vasilis G. Apostolopoulos, Anastasia Katsigianni, Konstantinos Hatoupis, Ana Voukindinovic, Giorgos Zerdilas

More photos of the event have been posted on the official website of the Consulate of Montenegro in Thessaloniki (here).