North Aegean Region | April 2025 | Mytilene became the focus of European diplomacy

June 2, 2025 12 min read

In April 2025, Mytilene became the focus of European diplomacy.

The Governor of the North Aegean Region, Konstantinos Moutzouris, and the Regional Authority hosted a formal dinner in honour of the Ambassadors of the European Union Member States in Athens, as part of their official visit to Lesvos.

The event, attended by high-profile personalities, served as a bridge of culture and politics.

It was enhanced by musical inspirations and showcased local gastronomy, featuring products and recipes from all the islands of the North Aegean.

The Ambassadors’ visit was a strategic move for outward reach, a great extroversion and aimed to elevate Lesvos as a place of rich tradition, culture, and unique culinary experience.

This initiative, with high strategic value, achieved maximum diplomatic value, dynamically projecting the North Aegean through diplomatic outward engagement, thus strengthening its international image and connecting the islands with European institutions.

During a high-level diplomatic gathering, the beautiful island of Lesvos was honored by The Ambassadors:

Gerda Vogl, Ambassador of Austria
Marc Calcoen, Ambassador of Belgium
Valentin Poriazov, Ambassador of Bulgaria
Aleksandar Sunko, Ambassador of Croatia
Ivo Šilhavý, Ambassador of Czechia
Tanne Bertelsen, Deputy Head of Mission of Denmark
Karin Rannu, Ambassador of Estonia
Laurence Auer, Ambassador of France
Andreas Kindl, Ambassador of Germany
Zsolt Sándor, Ambassador of Hungary
Ciara O’Floin, Ambassador of Ireland
Susanna Schlein, Deputy Head of Mission of Italy
Ieva Briede, Ambassador of Latvia
Lina Skerstonaitė, Ambassador of Lithuania
Darren Azzopardi, Deputy Head of Mission of Malta
Susanna Terstal, Ambassador of Netherlands
Christian Grotnes Halvorsen, Deputy Head of Mission of Norway
Wojciech Ponikiewski, Chargé d’Affaires of Poland
Ewa Pańczak, Deputy Head of Mission of Poland
Hubert Świętek, First Secretary of Poland
Agata Krupa, Expert of Poland
Thiago Carvalho, Deputy Head of Mission of Portugal
Carmen-Ileana Mihălcescu, Ambassador of Romania
Marcela Hanusová, Ambassador of Slovakia
Tamara Weingerl – Požar, Ambassador of Slovakia
Jorge Domecq, Ambassador of Spain
Stefan Estermann, Ambassador of Switzerland

And Maryse Coutsouradis, Deputy Head of European Commission Delegation

This exceptional honorary event, which has an international reach, was presented by journalist Eirini Nikolopoulou and was honored by the presence of the Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development, Vassiliki Koutsoukou, the former Commissioner for Greece to the European Union and former Minister, Dimitris Avramopoulos, the internationally acclaimed Greek classical pianist, director of the Athens Concert Hall, Yannis Vakarelis, the President of the Greek National Commission for UNESCO, Aikaterini Tzitzikosta, and the Ambassador of Gastronomy for the North Aegean, Argyro Barbarigou.

The event was musically framed by the AETHER String Quartet from the Athens Concert Hall, performing works by Dvořák and Skalkottas, and the Santouri (dulcimers) of the Agiasos Reading Society, while the menu was curated by the Agia Paraskevi Women’s Cooperative using local products from the North Aegean islands.

The positive response, as expressed in the Polish Ambassador’s letter of thanks, confirmed the significance of the action and the strong will of the North Aegean Region to forge robust international relations and ties.

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