8th November 2014 Athens, Greece
I attend a lot of commemorative events. Greeks and Britons share much history, and we value its importance, feeling its presence at least dimly in our lives. We commemorate key moments of our history, because we are aware that the freedoms we enjoy were built on the endeavours of those who were here before us. […]
21st October 2014 Athens, Greece
I found myself on Crete two weeks ago. It’s always a pleasure to be on the Great Island. Cretan hospitality, the landscape, the beaches, the cuisine, the archaeology, the local grappa, the great cities…what’s not to like? I had spent an unforgettable week there on leave in July – not far from Kissamos, in the […]
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25th August 2014 Athens, Greece
Ten days ago, I attended the last performance at this year’s Festival of Epidauros, Nikaiti Kondouri’s production of Aeschylus’ Persians. There were more than 6,000 people on the beautiful marble seating of the ancient theatre. The atmosphere beforehand was lively, expectant, talkative. But once the drama began, this huge audience fell mute and minutely attentive. […]
15th July 2014 Athens, Greece
In early September, the UK will host the next NATO Summit at Newport. The Summit will be an important event in itself, but it’s also an opportunity for us to promote one of the less known countries of the United Kingdom: Wales! Most of the Anglophone Greeks I know are in love with London. More […]
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10th June 2014 Athens, Greece
During the course of this week (10-13 June), the British Government will host in London a Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. This is our biggest and most important international event for some time, and is the culmination of two years of hard work with international partners. We want Governments, civil society and […]
2nd May 2014 Athens, Greece
One of the parts of my job that I most love is the work we do to support British business here in Greece. Because of the deep and long recession, the market here is tough and British imports have fallen hugely. Last year, however, they rose again – by 8%: the first time in many […]
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27th January 2014 Athens, Greece
On 27 January each year, the United Nations remembers the Holocaust that took the lives of six million Jewish people during World War II. This day is called the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. On this day in 1945, Soviet troops liberated the Nazi concentration and death camp […]
31st December 2013 Athens, Greece
On the banks of the magnificent Rhine, in my room on the sixth floor of the Hyatt Hotel, I’m watching the comings and goings of the container boats that ply their trade between the industrialised cities of the Rhineland. From above it’s as if they’re gliding effortlessly, bearing their cargo without sound, without propulsion. The […]
22nd November 2013 Athens, Greece
On New Year’s Day 2014, Greece will pick up the Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, and run with it for six months. The last time Greece presided was 2003. That Presidency broke new ground: it created a new vision and new prospects for EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, and, at the same […]
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16th October 2013 Athens, Greece
When they appointed me ambassador, I knew almost nothing about the maritime world – whether naval or mercantile. Sure, I had grown up near one of the most important ports in England and had gone to school there. In the 19th century, the fleet of Hull was principally occupied with whaling. In the 20th century, […]