Ambassador Themistocles Demiris received a positive majority opinion on his appointment as head of the EPM from the Parliamentary Committee on Institutions and Transparency.

Only the deputies from the “New Democracy” voted for the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On the contrary, all opposition parties spoke out negatively.

Minister of State Yorgos Gerapetritis attended the meeting on behalf of the government.

It is noted that the hearing of Mr. Demiris by the Committee on Institutions and Transparency is confidential, based on Article 43A of the Civil Code, which provides that “discussions on the activities of the EPM are confidential, and the Members of Parliament – MPs of the Committee undertake to maintain this confidentiality even after the expiration of their term of office. “.

This means that minutes of the meeting are kept but not distributed. Members of committees, deputies and parties have access to them, but only for reading and notes, and not for receiving copies.

Biography of Themistocles Demiris

Ambassador and former General Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Themistocles Demiris was born in Athens. He studied political science at Panteillon University and holds a master’s degree in Middle East politics from the Institute of Mediterranean and Arab Studies.

In the period 1978-1981. worked as a journalist (freelancer) in the review “Political Issues” and editor-in-chief in the magazines “Computer Age”, “Plant”, “Equipment”, “Agrotiki Periusii”.

In 1981 he entered the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was sworn in as a diplomatic attaché in 1982. Until 1984, he worked as Attaché and Secretary III of the Cryptographic Service and the Middle East and Africa Authority.

In 1985 he was sent to the Greek Embassy in Baghdad. In 1989 he was transferred to the Permanent Delegation of Greece to UNESCO.

In 1992, he returned to the Central Service, having received an assignment to the Turkish Cypriot Directorate, and in 1994 he took the post of head of the Cypriot department. Since 1996, he has worked at the Greek Embassy in Nicosia as Counselor A and Deputy Chief of Staff/Charge d’Affaires.

In 2001 he was transferred to the Permanent Mission of Greece to the EU. successively assuming the duties of the representative in the Western Balkan group and the leadership of the external relations department of the Delegation. In 2006 he returned to the Central Service as Director of the European External Relations Office and in 2007 was promoted to Minister Plenipotentiary B.

In September 2008, he was appointed to Brussels as Permanent Representative to the Western European Union and Ambassador to the EU. with the duties of the representative of Greece in the Political and Security Committees.

In 2013, he was appointed Ambassador of Greece to Italy and San Marino, as well as Permanent Representative to the World Food Organization (FAO) and other international organizations based in Rome.

In 2014, he was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary A. In May 2017, he returned to Athens and until 01.01.2018 held the position of Director in the Directorate of International Financial Institutions.

It has been awarded by the Presidents of Egypt, Cyprus, Italy and the Hellenic Republic. He speaks and writes Greek, English, French and Italian.

He is married and father of two children.

Source: RES-IPE