The Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs () is a government department of Greece, headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The ministry has its headquarters in Athens.
The incumbent minister is Giorgos Gerapetritis in the Second Cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
History The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of Greece’s oldest ministries. Theodoros Negris is regarded as its first minister, serving from 1822 to 1823.https://200years.mfa.gr/en/mfa-history-en/ The Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the Revolution and the early years of Independence] However, the ministry was dissolved in May 1823, as Greece had not yet gained official recognition from any state. It was re-established in 1827 as an independent entity under the name Secretariat of State for Foreign Affairs and Merchant Marine. In 1828, Greece was formally recognized as a state by the three protecting powers, leading to the appointment of the first ambassadors to the country. This title persisted until April 1833, when, following the arrival of King Otto, it was renamed the Secretariat of State for the Royal House and Foreign Affairs, with Spyridon Trikoupis as its first minister.During this period, Greece expanded its diplomatic relations with Austrian Empire, Belgium, Danish Unitary State, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, and the Kingdom of Sweden and Norway. In 1846, the title was updated to the Ministry of the Royal House and Foreign Affairs. In February 1863, it adopted its current official name, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Government Gazette, FEK A6/1863
Responsibilities The mission of the Ministry is to implement the country's foreign policy, and its responsibilities include, among others: Supporting and promoting Greek interests in foreign states and the international community Providing information and updates on Greek issues and positions Representing the Hellenic Republic and its government in international organizations and bodies Offering diplomatic support to state institutions, public enterprises and organizations, political parties, and members of parliament during their international contacts Promoting and protecting the rights and interests of Greeks abroad Promoting and safeguarding Greece's economic, commercial, maritime, tourism, and other interests abroad Managing the diplomatic correspondence of the President of the Republic Maintaining relations of the Hellenic Republic with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, autocephalous Orthodox churches, and other religious denominations Politically administering Mount Athos Handling matters related to the awarding of Greek Orders of Excellence and the authorization to accept foreign distinctions
List of ministers for foreign affairs since 1974
Photo Name Took office Left office Party Georgios Mavros24 July 19749 October 1974Centre UnionDimitrios Bitsios17 October 197420 November 1977New Democracy Panagiotis Papaligouras29 November 197710 May 1978Georgios Rallis10 May 197810 May 1980Konstantinos Mitsotakis10 May 198021 October 1981Ioannis Charalambopoulos 21 October 198126 July 1985PASOK Karolos Papoulias26 July 19852 July 1989Tzannis Tzannetakis2 July 198912 October 1989New DemocracyGeorgios Papoulias12 October 198923 November 1989IndependentAntonis Samaras23 November 198916 February 1990New DemocracyGeorgios Papoulias16 February 199011 April 1990IndependentAntonis Samaras11 April 199014 April 1992New DemocracyKonstantinos Mitsotakis14 April 19927 August 1992Michalis Papakonstantinou7 August 199213 October 1993Karolos Papoulias13 October 199322 January 1996PASOKTheodoros Pangalos22 January 199618 February 1999George Papandreou18 February 199913 February 2004Tasos Giannitsis13 February 200410 March 2004Petros Molyviatis10 March 200415 February 2006New DemocracyDora Bakoyannis15 February 20067 October 2009George Papandreou7 October 20097 September 2010PASOKDimitris Droutsas7 September 201017 June 2011Stavros Lambrinidis17 June 201111 November 2011Stavros Dimas11 November 201117 May 2012New DemocracyPetros Molyviatis17 May 201221 June 2012Dimitris Avramopoulos 21 June 201225 June 2013Evangelos Venizelos 25 June 201327 January 2015PASOKNikos Kotzias27 January 201527 August 2015SyrizaPetros Molyviatis28 August 201521 September 2015New DemocracyNikos Kotzias23 September 201520 October 2018SyrizaAlexis Tsipras (also PM)20 October 201815 February 2019Georgios Katrougalos 15 February 20199 July 2019Nikos Dendias9 July 201925 May 2023New DemocracyVasilis Kaskarelis25 May 202327 June 2023IndependentGiorgos Gerapetritis27 June 2023presentNew Democracy
See also List of foreign ministers of Greece
References
External links