WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), a member of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, hosted an introductory meeting with the recently appointed Greek Ambassador to the United States Ekaterini Nassika.

Ambassador Nassika accepted her appointment in November 2023 following the departure of former Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou in September 2023.

“Ambassador Ekaterini Nassika is a skilled and dedicated diplomat who has served the Hellenic Republic for more than 30 years,” said Congresswoman Meng. “As a member of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, I look forward to working with Ambassador Nassika as we continue to strengthen the U.S.-Hellenic relationship, especially for the many Greek families in Queens and their relatives back in Greece.”

Nassika is a career diplomat who previously served as the Ambassador of Greece in Moscow, Russia from 2019 to 2022 before her appointment to the United States. In 1985 she joined the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens, Greece, before she was posted to the Greek Embassy in Washington, DC, from 1989 to 1993. Between 1993 and 2007 she served at the Greek Embassy in Tirana, Albania, as the Permanent Representation of Greece in the European Union in Brussels, Belgium, at the Diplomatic Office of the Deputy Minister for European Affairs in Athens, Greece, as well as Political Military Counselor at the Permanent Mission to Greece to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna, Austria. Between 2007 and 2019 Nassika also had the opportunity to serve as Deputy Director, Directorate for Turkey in Athens, Greece, Consul General of Greece to Brussels, Belgium, Deputy Permanent Representative of Greece to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, and the Permanent Representative of Greece to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Canada.

Rep. Meng’s district in Queens, New York is home to about 7,873 constituents of Greek descent. Last year, Meng successfully included an amendment in the House-passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would strengthen basing rights between the U.S. and Greece.