JEDDAH, 19 July 2004 — An official 116-member delegation of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee is visiting Greece for the upcoming Athens Olympic Games.
“Aside from this massive delegation, we’ve been getting an increased number of Saudis and other expats seeking visas for the games,” Greek Consul General George A. Dogoritis told Arab News on Saturday.
A separate visa wing is operating in Athens to meet the increased rush of Olympic enthusiasts from all the continents. “We expect more than two million spectators to visit Greece for the Olympic Games,” he said.
Visas are being issued to officials, athletes and accredited media representatives on priority, while those going to Greece as spectators are being given visas after a wait of 10 days as per the Schengen visa procedure.
“We want many Saudis and expats to visit Greece for the games and are gearing up to meet the rush,” Dogoritis said, adding that last month alone the consulate issued 1,200 visas.
The Olympic Games will formally open in the Greek capital on Aug. 13 and will continue up to Aug. 29 in five cities, including Volos and Patras on the mainland, Heraklion on the Creeta Island, and Thessoliniki, known for its annual international trade fair.
“A number of Saudis visit Thessoliniki for the fair every year,” he said. Saudis and other Arabs have extensive investments in real estate, especially hotels and resorts. “Some Arabs are now residents of Greece, as also some immigrants from Asian countries including China and Pakistan,” he said.
The bilateral trade volume now exceeds $1.3 billion, a 15 percent increase in 2003 over the previous year. Some 100,000 of the country’s 11 million population are Muslim, mostly found in North Greece that has over 400 mosques. About 10 Greek students are currently studying religion in Madinah.
Dogoritis, who is moving to the Greek mission in Toronto, is being succeeded by Dimitris Zavoritis, currently No. 2 in the Greek Embassy in Damascus.
