Greece honoured the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Alexandros N. Zenon, for his longstanding and substantial contribution to promoting and deepening relations between the foreign ministries of the two countries.
The Grand Cross and Star of the Order of Honour was presented to Zenon by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on behalf of the Greek President, on the sidelines of the Tripartite Summit between Jordan, Greece and Cyprus held on Tuesday in Nicosia.
Presenting the order, Tsipras praised Zenon for his longstanding, substantial contribution in promoting and deepening relations between the ministries of the two countries. “A cooperation which expresses the decisive commitment of the two peoples to the national problem of Cyprus,” he said.
The PM said that during his term at the Foreign Ministry, Zenon contributed to the cooperation of Greek and Cypriot diplomacy and the Cross is presented to express certainty that his contribution to Cyprus and Greece will continue from any position.
Replying, Zenon expressed gratitude for such an honour at the recommendation of the Foreign Ministry to the President of the Hellenic Republic. “It has special significance for me as it is presented to me a few days before retirement, almost after four decades”, he said.
Zenon said that the honour is the culmination of a long course in the foreign service and the promotion of common national goals and aspirations. He added that after the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, he strived to defend the state from various threats, to prevent the recognition of the illegal entity in the occupied northern part of the island. He also referred to Cyprus` accession to the EU.
MFA Permanent Secretary said that this high honour is the recognition of the collective effort and assistance of the political leaders and all his colleagues as well as the close and sincere cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of Cyprus and Greece.
He also pointed out that “we should not divert from the ultimate goal and duty to keep struggling for the reunification of our country and the termination of Turkey’s illegal occupation.”