Diplomatic service
…Although the political climate of Greek-Turkish relations has changed, certain permanent factors remain, as do some entrenched, unfortunately negative characteristics which are worth examining even if they are relatively invisible. The most important of them is the subordination of the diplomatic service to the politically elected officials at the Foreign Ministry… Regardless of any future developments, the country is essentially embarking on a major foreign policy process with some of the responsible diplomatic officials following developments in the newspapers. It is needless to say that our neighbors do not follow the same course of action – quite the contrary. We are already in the third decade of the systematic marginalization of the Foreign Ministry’s diplomatic body which, however, is the only one which can guarantee some continuity (and, if necessary, consistency) in the handling of foreign policy issues. Advisers may be a good thing, experts are even better, and ministerial friends are irreplaceable, but when their ephemeral character disrupts continuity, then there is cause for concern. This phenomenon, which is common in many ministries, takes on sweeping dimensions in the Foreign Ministry. The diplomatic service has gradually stagnated and the system is no longer working. Based on the findings, one year of intensive therapy under the model of the rehab communities (either those operating on an outpatient basis or those offering board) drastically reduced illegal substance abuse, while it also increased an individual’s chances of returning to the labor market.
