NEW YORK – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos met with representatives of American Jewish organizations here on Sept. 22nd, the Foreign Ministry said.

The PASOK Socialist leader who serves Prime Minister and New Democracy Conservative leader Antonis Samaras met with officials representing the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the American Jewish Committee, B’nai Brith, the World Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, were organized on the margins of the 69th UN General Assembly.

According to the Greek ministry, Venizelos highlighted the friendship ties between the Greek and Jewish peoples as well as the importance of ongoing cooperation between the two Diasporas. He also referred to a new anti-racism law recently approved by Greek Parliament.

“I am here to reaffirm on behalf of the Greek government a commitment to combat xenophobia, racism, and anti-Semitism,” said the Greek minister.

He didn’t mention the bill had been set aside by Samaras for more than a year before the murder of an anti-Fascist hip-hop artist by a man police said was a member of the Golden Dawn extremists made the government react.

Venizelos met with the Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Riyad Al-Maliki and with the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah.