Greek Ambassador Touts His Country

As cranes and bulldozers continue to prepare Athens for next summer’s Olympic Games, the Greek ambassador to the U.S. sang his country’s praises, describing its economic development and geopolitical importance in a speech at the Center for European Studies last night.

Ambassador George Savvaidis pointed to Greece’s adoption of the Euro and Greece’s fuller integration into the European Union (E.U.) as evidence of its commitment to modernization.

He said this spirit was evidenced also in preparations for the Olympics, which has turned Athens into “a huge construction site.”

The city is building new infrastructure, metro and tram systems and opened a brand new international airport in 2001.

“90 percent of the facilities are ready,” Savvaidis said, adding that the result should be “a better capital city.”

“We feel confident we will rise to the occasion, because nobody cares more about the Olympic Games than the Greeks,” he said.

Savvaidis said he also hopes the return of the Olympics to their birthplace will help to revive an ancient tradition know as the “Olympic truce,” which ensured that athletes from even rival factions could participate in the games and return to their native countries in safety.

Greece, the International Olympic Committee and the E.U. want to use the tradition of the truce to encourage dialogue and peace.

More generally, Savvaidis said, his nation hopes to play a stabilizing role on the international stage, encouraging peace in Iraq, the Balkans, Cyprus and beyond.

He said the Balkans are a “powder keg,” in Greece’s backyard, and commented that he’s far more worried about escalation of conflict in Kosovo than about the war in Iraq.

Savvaidis said Greece-U.S. cooperation on Iraq has improved dramatically.

The E.U. is a powerful vehicle in these matters, the ambassador said, stressing the contributions Greece made while it held the rotating union presidency.

Greece pushed for the latest and biggest round of E.U. expansion, as well as loosening restrictions on immigration and asylum.

Addressing a largely Greek-speaking audience, Savvaidis highlighted ties between the U.S. and Greece, noting the growing Greek-American population.

Savvaidis took about 45 minutes of questions from the audience, who quizzed him on everything from international relations to Olympic logistics.

The ambassador also offered recollections of his time at Harvard, where he attended law school while he worked in the Greek consulate.

“[Those were] very beautiful years, which I still recall with fondness,” he said.