U.N. chief addresses Greek parliament in Greek

Ban Ki-moon addressed the Greek parliament on Thursday as he ended the first official visit by a U.N. Secretary General to Greece in years.

Ban Ki-moon opened his speech on the challenges the U.N. faces today by speaking a few words in Greek.

"I am very happy to be here today, at the birthplace of democracy," Ban said.

Arriving in Greece from Afghanistan, Ban made a particular reference to the U.N.'s peace mission in that embattled country.

On the occasion of his participation in the Global Forum on Migration and Development, which was held in Athens, Ban again made a plea for strengthening global efforts to create a better future for migrants.

The U.N. leader also expressed optimism for the resolution of two issues of Greek interest, the Cyprus problem and the name dispute with Skopje.

In recognition of the U.N.'s and his personal efforts to solve the world's problems, Ban was awarded the Golden Medal of the Greek parliament after his speech.

Source: Xinhua