NEW YORK – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will make his first visit to Astoria in five years, following the historic open gathering in 2019. On Tuesday afternoon, he will visit again, taking advantage of his presence in New York for the 79th UN General Assembly.

As previously reported by The National Herald, Mitsotakis will visit Anassa Taverna, where the customary reception with representatives of Greek-American community organizations has been scheduled.

Mitsotakis’ Big UN Week Features Meetings With Erdogan, Netanyahu

This event is co-organized by 23 different organizations, including AHEPA, PSEKA, the Federation of Cypriot American Organizations, the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce (HAAC), Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), the Hellenic Lawyers Association, the Hellenic Medical Society of New York, the Alpha Omega Council, the Hellenic section of Flagstar Bank, Alma Bank, the American Hellenic Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM), the Order of St. Andrew – Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Hellenic American National Council (HANC), Leadership 100, the Hellenic American Bankers Association (HABA), the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation, the Hellenic Initiative (THI), the National Hellenic Museum, the National Hellenic Society, the Federation of Hellenic American Organizations of New Jersey, and the Washington ‘OXI’ Day Foundation, whose executive director Mike Manatos is also the event organizer.

It should be noted that the Prime Minister’s meeting with representatives of the professional and ethnic bodies of the Greek-American community was traditionally held in Manhattan, either as an evening reception or as a lunch event. This year, however, the event in Astoria will be a closed, invitation-only gathering, unlike the open event held in September 2019 at Petros Patridis hall of St. Demetrios Cathedral, which took on historical significance.

The event will begin at 1 PM, and it gains additional significance as it follows Mitsotakis’ meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at UN headquarters, just over an hour earlier.

According to government sources, the meeting with Erdoğan will have a tight agenda and focus on bilateral relations, regional developments, and migration issues, while the Greek side will also raise the Cyprus issue, with efforts being made to lay the groundwork for the resumption of meaningful talks.

Additionally, on Monday evening, Mitsotakis is expected to attend a reception hosted by the Atlantic Council, where he will be honored with the Global Citizen 2024 award. In addition to the Greek Prime Minister, the honorees include Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, and South Korean entertainment pioneer Miky Lee.

The award will be presented to Mitsotakis by Pfizer’s President and CEO, Dr. Albert Bourla.

UN Speech and Meetings

On Sunday, September 22 Mitsotakis spoke at the UN Summit on the Future, where he reiterated Greece’s support for the new UN Compact in light of the challenges of the new era.

The Prime Minister also met with the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, focusing on strengthening bilateral relations, and thanked him for Kuwait’s support of Greece’s candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2025-2026 term. He later met with representatives of American Jewish organizations, discussing international and regional developments with a focus on the war in Ukraine and the latest developments in the Middle East.

Finally, on Monday morning, the Prime Minister had a meeting with former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, where they reviewed the excellent state of Greece-U.S. relations and discussed international and regional developments.