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Israeli Ambassador Departs Greece Amid Deepening Ties and Regional Concerns
🇬🇷 Greece /Elections & Politics

Israeli Ambassador Departs Greece Amid Deepening Ties and Regional Concerns

From Kathimerini · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • The ambassador of Israel to Greece, Noam Katz, is concluding his term in Athens.
  • His tenure focused on managing the difficult period for Israel since October 7, 2023, while also deepening Greek-Israeli relations.
  • Pnina Yanai will succeed Katz as the new ambassador.

Noam Katz, the outgoing ambassador of Israel to Greece, is bidding farewell to friends and colleagues as his term in Athens concludes. His tenure was largely defined by navigating the challenging period that began for Israel on October 7, 2023.

I thanked him and the Greek Parliament for the strong bonds we built in recent years and expressed my conviction that the friendship and cooperation between Israel and Greece will continue to strengthen for the benefit of our peoples.

— Noam KatzThe outgoing Israeli ambassador's remarks after meeting with the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament.

Despite the regional turmoil, Katz's time in Greece also saw a steady deepening of Greek-Israeli relations, a notable contrast to trends elsewhere in Europe. Katz met with Nikitas Kaklamanis, the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament and a strong supporter of Greek-Israeli friendship. "I thanked him and the Greek Parliament for the strong bonds we built in recent years and expressed my conviction that the friendship and cooperation between Israel and Greece will continue to strengthen for the benefit of our peoples," Katz stated.

Pnina Yanai, a lawyer known for her media presence in Israel, will take over as the new ambassador in Athens. The article also touches on the evolving Turkish-Egyptian rapprochement, which is causing concern in Athens. Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis has been in frequent contact with his Egyptian counterpart, discussing the progress of the strategic partnership between Greece and Egypt, including potential trilateral cooperation with Cyprus.

a wish I expressed to her.

— Dimitris KyriazidisThe Greek MP's explanation for a controversial comment made to a political opponent.

A separate segment addresses a controversy involving Dimitris Kyriazidis, a member of the Greek parliament. He was expelled from his party for a sexist comment made to Zoe Konstantopoulou, leader of the Plevsi Eleftherias party. Kyriazidis has since maintained his comment was a mere "wish" and has offered a convoluted explanation involving his past as a police official and his encounter with Konstantopoulou's father.

because she was going to exploit the children, I expressed a wish.

— Dimitris KyriazidisThe Greek MP's further justification for his comment.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathimerini in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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