QUEENS, NY –
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens), a member of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, brought the Greek Ambassador to the United States to her congressional district in Queens, New York.
Meng and Ambassador Ekaterini Nassika held a luncheon yesterday with the borough’s Greek American community at a local Greek restaurant where they talked about the importance of the U.S.-Greek relationship and their efforts to further strengthen it.
Prior to the luncheon, Meng and Nassika toured St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Shrine Church in Flushing, which the Congresswoman has been to several times in the past. They also visited its day school and preschool and met with Church and school officials.
Ambassador Nassika, who traveled to Queens from the Embassy of Greece in Washington, D.C., is a career diplomat. She was appointed as Greece’s Ambassador to the U.S. in November 2023 after serving as the Ambassador of Greece to the Russian Federation. She began her diplomatic career in 1985.
Meng invited Ambassador Nassika to visit Queens last month after the two had an introductory meeting at the Congresswoman’s office on Capitol Hill. Also joining the luncheon and tour was Dinos Konstantinou, the Consul General of Greece in New York.
“It was an honor to host Ambassador Nassika here in Queens and I thank her for visiting our borough,” said Congresswoman Meng. “I am so proud to represent thousands of constituents who are of Greek descent and to support and help grow the crucial ties that exist between the United States and Greece, and between the American and Greek people. Greece is at the forefront of tackling many shared challenges from strengthening democracy and tackling climate change to helping to support our allies Israel and Ukraine and bring stability to the Eastern Mediterranean. I am excited to continue working with Ambassador Nassika and I’m thrilled that I was able to introduce her to the vibrant and thriving Greek American community in my district. She is welcome in Queens anytime.”
“It was great to come to Flushing, Queens and meet with the local Greek American community, a strong and vibrant link between Greece and the United States of America,” said Ambassador Nassika. “I was also very glad to see Congresswoman Grace Meng, an active member of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus. We both highlighted the importance of further strengthening the ties between Greece and the U.S. and work closely together in this direction. The contribution of members of the Congress in promoting bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and close partners and allies, like Greece, is always of significance.”
