A respected steady hand at the top of Greece's diplomacy

The caretaker government is faced with and will have to manage a sensitive regional and international environment which includes, among others, the permanently difficult Greek-Turkish puzzle and a critical phase of the war in Ukraine. Honorary Ambassador Vassilis Kaskarelis, who took over the crucial Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is a person who is not only accepted by the entire domestic political spectrum, but he is also respected and recognized for his abilities by his interlocutors abroad. Officials and diplomats of important countries with influence on issues concerning Greece who had worked with him in recent decades praise his seriousness and efficiency.

Kaskarelis has held important positions abroad: He has served at the United Nations, as Greece’s permanent representative to NATO and the European Union – where he negotiated the final phase of Cyprus’ accession to the EU as well as the start of Turkey’s accession process – but also as ambassador to Washington, and completed his diplomatic career at the top of the bureaucratic hierarchy as secretary-general of the Foreign Ministry. He then moved on to become senior adviser to the Board of Directors at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

As some are expressing concern about what might happen on the Greek-Turkish front during the next four weeks while Greece is lead by a caretaker government, and at the same time many others are talking about a possible Greek-Turkish rapprochement after the presidential runoff election in Turkey and the June 25 election in Greece, the presence of Kaskarelis at the helm of Greek diplomacy becomes extremely useful and serves as a guarantee of seriousness and stability.

He knows well the internal mechanisms and planning of Ankara, where he has also served, while he is respected in the neighboring country, where he is righty seen as a reliable interlocutor.

One could very reasonably argue that Kaskarelis would be useful beyond the term of the caretaker government, as he possesses not only the knowledge, experience and skills, but also the ability to advise or decide in any consultations with influential officials in the international community and regional players, without the burden of intra-party calculations and political costs.