Greek ambassador to U.S. to speak on campus Nov. 13

His Excellency Alexandros P. Mallias, Greek Ambassador to the United States, will discuss "Greek-U.S. Strategic Partnerships in Southeastern Europe and Beyond”"in an open forum at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007 in the Haymarket Theatre, Squires Student Center, Virginia Tech.

Mallias has had a distinguished career since he joined the Greek Foreign Service in 1976. He has been at the forefront of Greece’s efforts to stabilize the Balkans, serving as director of the Southeastern Europe (Balkan Affairs) Department at the Foreign Ministry in Athens, and as ambassador to Albania, head of the first Mission in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and head of the European Community Monitor Mission Regional Office in Sofia. He also served as first secretary of the Greek embassy in Tripoli, Libya, and as first counselor for political affairs at the Greek Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

A proponent of public diplomacy, Ambassador Mallias has made people-to-people diplomacy an integral part of his mission in the United States, reaching beyond the bounds of Washington politics. He travels extensively throughout the United States, meeting with state officials and citizens, speaking at universities, colleges, and think-tanks, not only on issues relating to Greece, but the broader Southeastern European region, to create links between the people of that region and the United States. He is also active in the effort to combat human trafficking.

His great respect for the American civil rights movement and the legacy of Martin Luther King led to the Greek Embassy’s adoption of the Brunetta C. Hill Elementary School in Birmingham, Alabama, creating a mutually beneficial relationship with the 5th grade students of the school, who visit Washington, D.C. annually at his invitation.

Mallias’ visit to Blacksburg is sponsored by Outreach and International Affairs at Virginia Tech, the Hellenic Society Paideia of Virginia, and the Virginia Tech Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, in association with the Greek Embassy in Washington, D.C.

For more information, contact Adjunct Professor Maria Hatzios at (540) 552-6504 or Virginia Tech’s Outreach and International Affairs (540) 231-9868.