Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will be the keynote speaker at this week's 2002 Mayors of the World Summit in Athens, Greece. While he is in the region, he will pay a courtesy visit to His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leader of the Orthodox Church. A travel schedule will be provided closer to departure and a tentative itinerary is below.

"It will be a privilege to represent our wonderful City during the 2002 Mayors of the World Summit," Mayor Bloomberg said. "New York City has been the recipient of tremendous support over the last year and this is an opportunity to thank the world, spread the word that we remain the Capitol of the Free World, and learn from the experiences other cities have had during these challenging times. I am also looking forward to meeting with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, whom I was fortunate to spend time with when he visited New York last spring."

The Mayor will arrive in Athens, Greece on the morning of Thursday, September 19. On Thursday, he will meet with Athens Mayor Dimitris Avramopoulos and President Kostantinos Stephanopoulos of the Hellenic Republic. He will also speak at a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce. During the late afternoon, the Mayor will tour facilities that will be used during the 2004 Olympics in Athens. During the evening, he will attend a reception at the American Embassy hosted by United States Ambassador Thomas J. Miller.

On Friday, September 20, Mayor Bloomberg will be the Keynote Speaker at the 2002 Mayors of the World Summit. Following the speech, he will meet with Prime Minister Constantine Simitis of the Hellenic Republic and afterwards with Education Minister Petros Efthymiou. Later, Mayor Bloomberg will tour Athens and attend a concert in the evening to commemorate the one-year of anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

On Saturday, September 21, Mayor Bloomberg will travel to Istanbul, Turkey. He will attend a luncheon with Mayor Ali Mufit Gurtuna of Istanbul, tour the city and meet with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. At night, the Mayor will attend a dinner with Turkish business leaders. The Mayor will depart for New York City the following day.