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The Greek Foreign Ministry called on its citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, announced the reduction of its embassy in Kyiv to a minimum and the strengthening of the staff of the Consulate General in Mariupol. The MFA press office reported this.
It is noted that the agency held a meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias with the participation of Ministers of Defense and Education.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly discourages travel to Ukraine and at the same time recommends that Greek citizens staying in the country leave it immediately,” the statement reads.
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Greek citizens who have not yet left are also encouraged to immediately contact the Greek Embassy in Kyiv.
“The staff of the Kyiv embassy has been reduced to the required level. At the same time, the staff of the Consulate General in Mariupol will be strengthened,” the Greek Foreign Ministry said.
Greeks have lived on the territory of modern Ukraine since antiquity and consider themselves autochthonous people. Countless remnants of ancient Greek civilization exist in Ukraine such as Olbia, Panticapaeum, and Tauric Chersonesus. Later historical Greek landmarks date from the Middle Ages. Between 14th and 15th century even a political state called the Principality of Theodoro, inhabited by Greek speaking Crimean Goths, existed in Crimea. As a result, a distinct Greek community formed on the Crimean peninsula. Later they resettled to southern Pryazovia and since then they have been known as Mariupolitan Greeks. Today the descendants of these people make up almost 85% of the entire ethnic Greek population in Ukraine. They cherish their unique culture and endangered regional Greek dialects.
European Union’s diplomatic service told its non-essential staff in Ukraine on Friday (11 February) to leave the country as several EU countries issued warnings over growing fears of a Russian invasion and US President Joe Biden said “things could go crazy quickly”.
The Pentagon is pulling nearly 160 members of the Florida National Guard from Ukraine as top U.S. officials publicly warn a Russian invasion could be imminent – Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a “temporary” repositioning of the members of the Florida Army National Guard to “elsewhere in Europe,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement.
Council of the European Union said on Saturday that “diplomatic missions are not closing” in Kyiv, despite what U.S. officials signal is an increasingly likely possibility that Russia will invade the neighboring country.
