• “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I have almost no cooking skills- I can’t cook anything other than the bare necessities (humble fried eggs and poor spaghetti, that is). Also, much to my wife’s dismay, I haven’t danced since I was a seventeen-year-old kid. But I do love jazz, particularly Ella Fitzgerald’s velvety voice”.
• “Obviously, there have been several minor mistakes (during my political career), as is customary for those who take action, but I hope there haven’t been any when it comes to critical decisions”.
• “The most important lesson my children taught me is that of the continuity of life. My father, Spyros, on the other hand, taught me from an early age that humility is what we always need”.
• “I read a lot, but I also enjoy making fun of myself. Despite the fact that I no longer play football, I enjoy watching it. It’s a way to unwind from the stresses of everyday life”.
• “I believe I have completed most of what I would have wished to have done and to leave as my legacy (at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). But I would be really happy with a similar life’s work conclusion, that is if the moment of settling the Greek-Turkish differences came. A settlement that would be entirely possible if Turkey accepted the International Law of the Sea and the relevant Convention (UNCLOS).”
• “I am particularly proud of my tenure at the Ministry of Public Order and Citizen Protection and the dismantling of Golden Dawn, in response to the threat that its actions posed to the Rule of Law. As well as for restoring Athens’ image as a capital of a constituted state where the Laws of the Hellenic Republic are fully respected, in the midst of the crisis in 2012. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I believe that the two EEZ delimitation agreements with Italy and Egypt respectively, which one should bear in mind that we were unable to conclude for the past 50 years, are what truly broke the glass ceiling. Everything was done quietly, however; without a bang. After all, making excessive noise is never required”.
• “I vividly recall the most distressing (memory), that of returning to school as a boarding student at Athens College every September, leaving Corfu, the sea, and my friends behind”.
• “I can’t imagine life without (my wife) Daphne and our home in Paxos which is my personal Krypton – the one place I always return to “recharge my batteries” and keep going”.
• “What unwaveringly sustains my plans, my perseverance, and energy is the hope that our country will become stronger, with expanded alliances and an upgraded role, and that both our region and the entire world will become a truly safe place to live”.
