Vassilios M. Tolios

Vassilios M. Tolios was born in Dafnoudi, a village in Serres’ region (Central Macedonia, Greece), on the 1st June, 1960. His family moved to Athens, where Vassilios completed his High School education. He graduated from the Law Faculty of Athens University and the National School for Public Administration (Diplomatic Corps – 1987-89).

In 1989, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece and served as a diplomat for almost 30 years. He served as Consul General of Greece in Sydney, from 2007-2013, greatly contributing to the reconciliation (after decades of dispute) between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia and the Greek Orthodox Community of Sydney and New South Wales.

Vassilios returned to Athens working in the Foreign Ministry’s Headquarters, before being promoted to Ambassador and appointed in a critical post as the Consul General of Greece in Argyrocastro/Girokaster –where the significant part of the Greek minority of Albania lives (2015-2018). Vassilis was a very active and dynamic Consul General in Argyrocastro almost until his death on November 9, 2018, following a short but fatal illness.

Vassilios M. Tolios offered his services overall as:

• Embassy Attaché (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Athens – 1989-91),
• Secretary of Embassy B ‘, Head of the Consular Office and Deputy Head of the Greek Embassy in Tokyo (1991-95),
• Secretary of the First Embassy in the Permanent Representation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE Vienna, 1995-99),
• Counsellor of Embassy B ‘, D2 NATO Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Responsible for Arms Control and Security (1999-2002),
• Counsellor of Embassy B ‘, Deputy Head of the Embassy of Greece in Warsaw, Exercise of the Greek Presidency of the European Union (2002-05),
• Counsellor of Embassy A ‘, C4 Directorate SCHENGEN, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, immigration and visa issues (2005-07), Athens
• Counsellor of Embassy A ‘, Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Australia (2008-2013), where he served with great success and was saluted as the most popular Consul General of Greece ever by the Greek Community,
• Minister Plenipotentiary B ‘, A5 Directorate of Russia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Head of Department of Russia (2013-15), Athens.

He used to speak English, French and German.

He was married to Dora (Theodora) Toumanidou, a Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry administration officer from Kavala, Greece and they had two daughters.

* Following six successful years in Sydney, the Consul General of Greece Vassilios Tolios and his wife Dora Toumanidou, departed for Athens at the end of August 2014. The two popular Greek diplomats contributed significantly to the long expected reconciliation between the Archdiocese and the Greek Community of NSW. A few days before their departure they both talked to Vasso Morali and the Greek Program of SBS Radio, recalling their best memories of their stay in Sydney.