ATHENS – The conditions in war-battered Mariupol and for the ethnic Greek community living in the area were discussed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Greece’s Consul General in the city, Manolis Androulakis, during a meeting on Friday at the Maximos Mansion.

The premier congratulated Androulakis for his handling of the effort to protect the ethnic Greek community in the Mariupol area, praising the Greek diplomat for his keen sense of responsibility and empathy.

Androulakis was the last EU member-state diplomat to remain in besieged Mariupol under very difficult and dangerous conditions.

Mitsotakis said it was very important that Greece succeeded in maintaining its diplomatic representation in Mariupol up until the very last minute, while stressing that the priority must now switch to ensuring that Greece “will be able to actively participate in rebuilding the city once the war is over,” given the significant ethnic Greek presence there.

On his part, Androulakis briefed the prime minister on the efforts that were made to protect the Greek community, thanked him for the personal interest he had shown, while underlining the importance of Mitsotakis’ phone call to the Ukrainian President, who then said “set in motion a process which was the beginning of the end for our exiting the city”.