By decision of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias, Efthymios-Georgios Costopoulos, Plenipotentiary Minister B, was appointed Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Sahel.
This decision underscores the importance that Greece attaches to this region, both in the context of the fight against terrorism and in tackling illegal immigration.
It is pointed out that Efthymios Costopoulos presented his credentials a few days ago as the first Ambassador of Greece to Senegal based in Dakar.
The opening of this Embassy is a highly symbolic move both in the context of the development of relations with the countries of West Africa, and with France in general “
Until now, Efthymios Costopoulos was the first Consul General of Greece in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, maintaining excellent relations between Greece and Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Sahel region is plagued by Islamic terrorism The French army first intervened in Mali in early 2013 as part of Operation Serval, which successfully recaptured the northern half of the country from Islamic groups.
The new Barkhane operation aims to continue this success and has expanded French military operations to a vast area of the Sahel.
The operation aims to help the governments of these countries maintain control of their territory, while preventing the region from becoming a safe haven for Islamic terrorist groups planning to attack France and Europe.
Greece has stated that it is also considering sending troops to the region to work with French forces against terrorists.
