INTERVIEWS

no-finish-line-in-sight-for-oldest-marathon-runner
HEADLINE

No finish line in sight for oldest marathon runner

STELIOS PRASSAS

He used his olive grove as a track. Over the last two months, unable to practice in the local stadium as he didn’t have a car, Stelios Prassas ran up and down the field with its 96 olive trees and free-range chickens on the plain of Marathon.

Landscape architect Helli Pangalou’s portfolio includes landmarks such as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center and the Faliro Bay revamp. [Nikos Kokkalias]
27.11.2021 / 10:28

Athens: A city that cannot be redrawn overnight

HELLI PANGALOU

“A comprehensive plan for Athens is not something that can be done overnight. It’s a long-haul proposition that demands prioritized and orchestrated urban interventions, which then need time to mature.

Alan Makovsky is a senior fellow for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress and a former State Department analyst on Turkey and the Middle East.
22.11.2021 / 21:45

Progress in Greece-US security ties ‘head-spinning’

ALAN MAKOVSKY

Transferring US troops via Alexandroupoli in northern Greece significantly reduces the time they need to reach the Black Sea and Eastern Europe, while at the same time allowing Washington to cushion itself against Ankara in case ties between the two countries deteriorate further, according to Alan Makovsky, senior fellow for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress and a former State Department analyst on Turkey and the Middle East.

John Lefas' (left) first meeting with prominent lawyer Geoffrey Robertson (right) took place at the British Museum.
22.11.2021 / 14:07

Expatriate protector of the Parthenon Marbles

JOHN LEFAS

John Lefas was in the Middle East for work last week, but his mind was in London and on what was being done about the Parthenon Sculptures in the wake of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ meeting with his British counterpart, Boris Johnson.

we-can-avoid-new-lockdowns
22.11.2021 / 11:13

We can avoid new lockdowns

PETER PIOT

In an exclusive interview a few days before he speaks at the Athens Health Summit that Kathimerini is organizing, virologist Peter Piot emphasizes that the only way that the nightmare of the previous winter can be avoided, however, is a combination of faster vaccination, compulsory use of masks indoors and the widest possible application of telework mandates.

the-ways-of-democracy-and-robust-economies
20.11.2021 / 17:55

The ways of democracy and robust economies

GERARD ROLAND

Gerard Roland, the E. Morris Cox Professor of Economics and Political Science at Berkeley, was an observer of the situation in Greece during the economic crisis and has been critical of the stabilization programs.

‘The era when there was kind of this populist backlash against the American presence, when it seemed to be the irritant, is not here anymore,’ Cooley says.
15.11.2021 / 11:10

Ignoring Turkey is not an option

ALEXANDER COOLEY

The United States wants to return to the role it once had, but the world is no longer the same, says Alexander Cooley.

Former secretary of state Mike Pompeo says he is ‘thrilled’ over the signing of the defense cooperation agreement between the United States and Greece. [AP]
09.11.2021 / 08:03

‘I was always concerned about an accident’

MIKE POMPEO

Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo is a star of the Republican party and seen as a likely contender for the White House in the 2024 race. In an interview with Kathimerini, he recalls the concern he and ex-president Donald Trump felt when tensions flared between Greece and Turkey.

Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos is seen in his office at the Maximos Mansion in a June file photo. For the former Council of State president, ‘a judge’s job is of the highest service to society and must be viewed as such.’ [AMNA]
01.11.2021 / 15:20

Judiciary must adapt to modern times and needs, deputy PM stresses

PANAGIOTIS PIKRAMMENOS

With the kind of knowledge of the justice system that can only be acquired from the inside and the candor of a person who doesn’t mince his words, Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos speaks to Kathimerini on the need for profound reform in the Greek justice system.

no-change-to-eu-s-debt-limit-says-commissioner
28.10.2021 / 20:07

No change to EU’s debt limit, says Commissioner

VALDIS DOMBROVSKIS

European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis does not agree with any changes to the debt limit in the context of the Stability Pact revision. However, he did point to some degree of flexibility.

‘Now, with a touch of a button they are aware of what is taking place on the other side of the world. We had to touch down somewhere and discover everything for ourselves,’ diplomat Alexander Philon tells Kathimerini in an interview. [Nikos Kokkalias]
27.10.2021 / 16:05

Diplomacy depends upon team spirit

ALEXANDER PHILON

Meeting diplomat Alexander Philon for the first time, one is immediately struck by the fact that his career suits his personality down to a tee.

greece-a-key-investment-destination-for-macquarie
26.10.2021 / 16:27

Greece a key investment destination for Macquarie

MARTIN BRADLEY

“Greece is a priority investment destination for Macquarie, and our teams continue to actively assess a number of opportunities locally where we believe we may be able to add value,” notes Martin Bradley, senior managing director at Macquarie Asset Management, in an interview with Kathimerini.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa, CEO and executive editor of online news site Rappler, poses for a portrait in the City of Taguig in Manila earlier this month. Ressa, along with Dmitry Muratov, editor in chief of newspaper Novaya Gazeta, were announced winners of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by the Nobel Committee in Oslo on October 8. [EPA]
20.10.2021 / 20:08

Social media enabling destruction of democracy

MARIA RESSA

“It’s the enabler of the destruction of democracy. It’s the enabler of the destruction of the facts,” says the Filipino Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa in an interview with Kathimerini from her Manila office.

[N. Kominis]
18.10.2021 / 21:08

Turkey’s opinion was not an issue for US

NIKOS DENDIAS

The details and inner workings of the renewed Mutual Defense and Cooperation Agreement (MDCA) between Greece and the United States are revealed by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in his first interview following his return from Washington.

Drs Ugur Sahin (right) and Ozlem Tureci (center) pictured during an interview with Kathimerini’s executive editor Alexis Papachelas in Thessaloniki.
17.10.2021 / 20:50

Cancer vaccines in two to three years

UGUR SAHIN - OZLEM TURECI

Drs Ugur Sahin and Ozlem Tureci are a very modest, perhaps even humble, scientist couple. The pandemic catapulted them into the spotlight.

‘The government is taking significant steps to proceed with the decarbonization of the country, but at the same time it is creating an entire portfolio of opportunities that will help businesses also grow in the changing environment,’ says Rich Lesser.
‘Nimetz was not quite optimistic – I spoke to him after the Prespes agreement – that he would see an agreement reached during his lifetime,’ Pendarovski says. [EPA]
10.10.2021 / 19:37

North Macedonia must stick to Prespes deal

STEVO PENDAROVSKI

Delays in launching accession talks with the European Union are taking a hefty toll on public support for the European integration project in North Macedonia, the Balkan country’s President Stevo Pendarovski tells Kathimerini in an interview after his visit to Athens.

Peter Kuper's illustration for 9/11: A human-like Empire State Building weeping over the ruins of the Twin Towers. (left) The cover of the 9/11 edition of ‘World War 3 Illustrated’ (December 2001), designed by Kuper. (right)
09.10.2021 / 10:15

Like ‘The War of the Worlds’

PETER KUPER

His memorable work – be it political cartoons for magazines like The New Yorker or The Nation or graphic novels, including adaptations of works by great masters like Franz Kafka and Joseph Conrad – has captivated the whole planet.

‘A career is a path filled with crossroads and, at each one, we need to consider three questions: What do we like? What are we good at? And what do society and the market need? One of these alone is not enough. It’s a tricky combination,’ George Pappas says. [Nikos Kokkalias]
05.10.2021 / 10:33

‘Greece could use an Elon Musk’

GEORGE PAPPAS

He was born in New York to Greek migrants; his father worked as a waiter at the Waldorf Astoria and his mother was a housewife.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Eduard Heger makes statements during a news conference with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens, Thursday. [AP]
Gilles Kepel, is one of Europe’s leading experts on Islamism, the Middle East and North Africa. Kepel is also an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron. [InTime News]
29.09.2021 / 17:06

Europe needs an autonomous defense mechanism

GILLES KEPEL

Europe must immediately set up an autonomous defense mechanism as the US is no longer interested in the Eastern Mediterranean region, says author Gilles Kepel, an adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron and one of Europe’s leading scholars on Islamism.

[Intime News]
28.09.2021 / 21:55

Quality, sustainable tourism tops priorities

VASSILIS KIKILIAS

In an interview with Kathimerini, Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias describes a series of measures and initiatives aimed at elevating the Greek tourism product, while protecting the natural environment and the character of its destinations.