Heads up – Embassy 28– September 2010

Classic diplomat

The Greek Ambassador to London, Aristidis Sandis, likes to live life in the fast lane – and the self-confessed sportscar enthusiast often finds himself in parts of the world revving up for change.

“I have been to a number of countries where the unthinkable has been made possible,” he smiles. “My first posting was in West Germany, and nobody ever thought they would unite, but they did. I’ve been to South Africa during apartheid and one would never have thought that majority rule would have been possible but it happened. I was in the Soviet Union during the perestroika years. I left a few months before communism collapsed and the Soviet Union disappeared.”

He also did two stints at the OSCE, one just after the end of the Cold War and one from 2001-05. “It was fascinating to see this creation of the Cold War evolve – and watch the unthinkable happen: Warsaw Pact nations becoming members of Nato.”

In Jordan he witnessed the passing of the great King Hussein and the rise of his son, King Abdullah II while observing the twists and turns of the Peace Process.

The Ambassador now finds himself in London as the UK gears up for changes to its electoral system. Over and above the politics, he plans to enjoy the many cultural offerings of the city as well as the deep historic and cultural bonds Greece and the UK share, not least the upcoming Olympic Games, in which Greece, the birthplace of the games, always plays a special part.

The two countries also share the pain of a deep financial crisis and both are implementing severe austerity measures – but the parallels end there, stresses Sandis. That, he says, is because the UK is not a member of the Eurozone and can be more flexible in its monetary response, while Greece has less room for manoeuvre. Nevertheless, the Ambassador insists that Greece has never considered reverting to the drachma.

But the crisis did reveal an underlying weakness in the single currency, says Sandis: “The euro was created without the proper mechanisms. They moved very quickly on monetary union, but not on fiscal issues. By virtue of the Greek crisis we are now creating these mechanisms.”

The only sugar coating to the bitter pill of cutbacks it is that the crisis has provided the push Greece needed to rectify problems that have been brewing for decades, says the Ambassador.

“We have been forced to tackle tax evasion, corruption, bureaucracy, lack of competitiveness. We have to change our pattern of work, we need to adapt. It will also make us Greeks live more within our means”.

A determined effort on both expenditures and revenues is under way, he says, listing a raft of tough measures which include slashing public sector pay by 15 per cent, a 10 per cent cut in public and private sector pensions, a 30 per cent cut in government operating expenditures, a 4 per cent hike in VAT and a 30 per cent increase in excise taxes.

Furthermore, an overhaul of the country’s pension system is under way, the labour market has been shaken up to increase competition and flexibility and the local administration is being rationalised, among other measures.

But the big test – the revival of the flagging Greek economy – is yet to come and the Ambassador has promised to redouble his efforts in London to attract British investors to Greece in a string of areas, such as solar energy, infrastructure, tourism, shipping and fishing.

Sandis remains optimistic Greece will rise to the challenge: “We as a nation have overcome much bigger hardships, infinitely more dangerous, so we will do it again.”

In addition to bilateral diplomacy, the Ambassador has an abiding interest in multilateral diplomacy and Sandis is looking forward to representing Greece, a great shipping nation, at the IMO.

There is a lot of scope for cooperation with Britain on EU matters too, he adds: “Britain has a very special role in resolving the Cyprus issue and we work together on that. We also agree that Turkey must be part of the EU provided they meet the conditions and that they are constructive on the Cyprus issue,” he says.

The Western Balkans is another priority for Greece and the UK. “This is our neighbourhood and Britain and Greece share the same policy of encouraging these countries’ Euro-Atlantic aspirations, provided they meet the criteria such as democratisation and respect for human rights.”

Maintaining “good neighbourly relationships” is essential, insists the Ambassador. “It is absurd to admit a country if it has serious disagreements with one of the members of the club.”

Here the dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia over its name remains a matter of serious concern for Greece, but Sandis says Greece is working towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Of course Britain and Greece don’t agree on everything – Greece has not recognised Kosovo and there is the matter of the return of the Parthenon Marbles. As someone with a passion for archaeology, the Ambassador plans to keep the issue very much on the radar.

“We know that public opinion in Britain is shifting in favour of the Greek position and I am confident that one day those marbles will go back to the place where they belong.”