Petros Molyviatis, a veteran diplomat, a former Foreign Minister and close associate of statesman Konstantinos Karamanlis. He died at a hospital in Athens from complications of respiratory failure at the age of 96, it was announced on Sunday.
Molyviatis was born on Chios island on June 12, 1928 and after completing a law degree entered the diplomatic corps. As an ambassador he was appointed to the permanent representations of Greece at the United Nations headquarters in New York and the NATO headquarters in Brussels, as well as the Greek embassies in Moscow and Ankara.
He served at the prime minister’s office in several capacities and as elected New Democracy deputy. Molyviatis also served as foreign minister of Greece three times: 2004-2006 under Costas Karamanlis government and twice in caretaker cabinets in May-June 2012 and in August- September 2015. He was appointed lifetime president of the Konstantinos G. Karamanlis Foundation’s board of trustees in 1983.
As a career diplomat, he served in the Permanent Delegation of Greece to the United Nations in New York and NATO in Brussels. He also served in the Greek embassies in Moscow, Pretoria and Ankara. From 1974 to 1980, Molyviatis was diplomatic advisor and director general of the political cabinet of Prime Minister Constantinos Karamanlis. During the terms of office of Karamanlis as Greek president from 1980 to 1985 and 1990 to 1995, he was secretary general of the Presidential office.
Greece’s political leaders expressed their condolences expressed their condolences on Sunday on the death of Petros Molyviatis.
