The Greek Foreign Ministry on Thursday issued a statement in response to a story published in the Financial Times describing alleged ties between newly appointed Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias (photo) and ultra-nationalist professor Aleksandr Dugin.

In the statement, the ministry slammed the financial daily over “the false claim that Mr Kotzias invited Mr Dugin to an event at the University of Piraeus. As stated in a denial issued by the University of Piraeus itself, Mr Kotzias never invited Mr Dugin to the lecture in question and, contrary to claims made in the article, never traveled to Moscow to meet with him.”

The ministry noted that this “unfounded information” which was being reproduced over the Internet and other media, was “creating inaccurate and unfounded impressions.”

Prior to his cabinet appointment, Kotzias was a professor of political theory in the International and European Studies department of the University of Piraeus.