George Tsunis: “I’m leaving my post but not Greece”
Interviewed by Niki Lyberaki on Mega TV’s Megali Eikona (the Big Picture) on 9th December, the US Ambassador in Greece George Tsunis, who will be leaving his post in a few weeks, said that he is leaving the embassy but not abandoning Greece, that he will always be at Greece’s side to help however he can. Speaking in fluent Greek, he sometimes lapsed into English when he wanted to convey something with a specific meaning.
Asked about his feelings on leaving the post he said that they were “bittersweet” and described the period of his posting in Greece as “the best three years of my life”. “It was a great pleasure and a great honour for me,” he said. “Just think that my father and mother were poor people in a small village without electricity or water. They came to America, they didn’t know the language, they didn’t have have any money, and their child is now in Greece as the American ambassador.” Asked which country he felt was his homeland he said that although he was of Greek origin, he was here representing the US: “As Ambassador you advocate for US principles and US values and US interests,” but repeated what he had often said before, that “I love America like my father, I love Greece like my mother …interpret that how you will.”
Continuing to speak personally, he mentioned his family, his parents’ house in the village of Platanos in the mountainous region of Nafpaktia, where he was interviewed previously by the same reporter in January 2023. As he is not a professional diplomat but comes from the world of business, he remembered that the first piece of advice he received as ambassador was to be “more buttoned up” – “You are not ‘Giorgaki’ now”, people told him. However, he preferred to remain “his authentic self”, and to interact freely with people, walking round the centre of Athens at the weekend, where he is often recognised and gets a friendly reception, sometimes having to pose for 200 or more selfies in a day.
Asked whether his term of service had been difficult, with the region experiencing two wars and many other challenges, he said that of course some days were more difficult than others but fortunately US-Greek relations are excellent, while the current peaceful situation in the Aegean is good for both Greece and Turkey. He added that the US wants Greek-Turkish differences to be settled by diplomatic means, as the alternative would be senseless. So long as they cannot be solved, they can be defused, he said, noting that stability is an important priority for the US.
He expressed the hope that things would not change in his country’s relations with Greece following the election of Donald Trump, noting that relations between the two countries had been better than previously over the past 15 years. Reflecting that it is often difficult for a person to make their way in both countries, Mr Tsunis said that Greece needs to be a “beacon of opportunity”, as does the US, so that children can have the opportunity to make the best of themselves. He said he was proud of the Greece which 12 years ago was the “black sheep” of Europe and today has changed, emerging as the fastest developing country, with three times the average growth rate of the Eurozone. He stressed that there is a need to create an ecosystem of innovation and said that there is interest from American universities in coming to Greece.
Asked about the Parthenon Marbles, he said that he believed that the ancient objects should be returned to their place of origin. Finally, he extolled the country’s beauties, expressing his admiration for the areas he visited, both seashore and mountain, and said that he does not forget his roots, and that his favourite dish is fish soup.
Haniotika Nea, 10/12/24, www.megatv.com
The new Ambassador
The replacement as US Ambassador to Greece proposed by President Elect Donald Trump, could not be more different. Former Fox News presenter Kimberly Guilfoyle has no prior connection to Greece and, in comments widely reported in the Greek media, once described Greece as a country of idlers and layabouts. Of Puerto Rican and Irish parentage she studied law at the universities of California and San Francisco, and subsequently at Trinity College Dublin.
She worked for four years in Los Angeles as a deputy district attorney and was an assistant district attorney in San Francisco from 2000 to 2004. During that time she was also married to the Democrat mayor of San Francisco and subsequent Governor of California Gavin Newsom, from 2001 to 2006.
After moving to New York in 2004, she joined Fox News in 2006 and stayed there as a presenter and host on various programmes until 2018, when she resigned following accusations of sexual harassment by her female assistant. By then she had become a fervent supporter of Donald Trump and in 2020 was reported to be the chair of the finance committee of the Trump Victory Committee, a PAC for the Republican National Committee and Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign. From 2020 until recently she was engaged to Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.
In her full-throated endorsements of the President Elect at various conventions she has come across to some commentators as “unhinged” and to others as merely “passionate” (Wikipedia), and her appointment as Ambassador to Greece – still to be ratified by the Senate – has aroused conflicting reactions. At first received with bafflement by Greek diplomatic circles, it is now reportedly being seen as an opportunity to get closer access to Trump’s inner circle.
According to the English edition of the Greek news site Iefimerida.gr, “Calling her a ‘close friend and ally’, Mr. Trump lauded her leadership and intellect as essential assets for fostering stronger defence ties, boosting trade relations, and driving economic innovation between the U.S. and Greece.” Referring obliquely to the number of Trump appointees who are close friends of the President Elect, the paper said: “Ms. Guilfoyle’s anticipated appointment signifies a continuation of Mr. Trump’s distinctive diplomatic reshaping, as he lays groundwork for a potential return to the presidency in January 2025.”