Ambassador to Greece

Today I announce the appointment of Mr John Griffin as Australia's next Ambassador to Greece with non-resident accreditation to Bulgaria and Romania.

Mr Griffin is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is currently Assistant Secretary in the Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe Branch.He was Australia's Ambassador to Hungary and Romania from 2011-2013.He has previously served overseas as Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, and was First Secretary then Counsellor at the Australian Mission to the United Nations in New York, with earlier postings to Laos and France.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts with first class honours and University Medal from James Cook University.He also studied at the French National School of Administration in Paris.

Australia and Greece enjoy a warm bilateral relationship based on strong and enduring community links, important historical bonds and shared democratic values.The depth of the relationship is further strengthened by Australia's large and active Greek community, which enriches our society through its contributions to business, tourism, educational and cultural exchanges.

The signing of a reciprocal work and holiday visa arrangement on 14 May 2014 by the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Hon Scott Morrison MP and the Greek Minister of Tourism, Ms Olga Kefalogianni, in Canberra will help support and refresh the enduring strong relationship between Australia and Greece.

Australia engages with Greece through international organisations including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Asia-Europe Meeting.Our relations are further enhanced by Australia's expanding engagement with the European Union, of which Greece currently holds the Presidency.

Mr Griffin is expected to take up his appointment in July replacing Ms Jenny Bloomfield.