Foreign Minister Avramopoulos meets with the President of the Republic, K. Papoulias, at the Presidential Mansion

PRESIDENT: Welcome, Mr. Minister. How are you?

D. AVRAMOPOULOS: We’ve been travelling non-stop, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT: I see that. The fate of Foreign Ministers.

D. AVRAMOPOULOS: Exactly. After all, you spent a number of years at the Foreign Ministry, and you know that all the moving around always has a specific purpose.

And I also want to tell you – given that in a few days it will be one year since my first meeting with you in my capacity as Foreign Minister, and at that time I said to you, “Our goal is to improve our country’s national image,” – that all this intensive activity has produced appreciable results.

Greece is finding its position in its geopolitical environment again, with credibility and seriousness, and I think this is a great help to the collective national effort for our country to find its way and orientation again.

May 31, 2013