Dimitris Avramopoulos
Encyclopedia
Dimitris Avramopoulos is a Greek
politician and diplomat. He was Mayor of Athens for eight years.
and in the NATO Headquarters in Brussels
. He is married to Vivian and has two sons, Filippos and Iasonas. He is fluent in English, French and Italian.
in Liege and Special Diplomatic Advisor to the President and Leader of the Nea Dimokratia Party, Costas Mitsotakis during this period. He also represented Greece in the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe
in Vienna
at the same year. In 1992 he served as the Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Athens and was Consul General of Greece to Geneva
. In 1993 he was appointed Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Prime Minister of Greece.
and was reelected in October 1998. From 1995 to 1999 he served as Chairman of the Central Union of Local Authorities of Greece
.
In 1995 he founded and was the first President of the “Permanent Conference of the Mayors of the Capitals of Southeastern Europe”. From 1996 to 2000 he served as Vice President of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) and from 1997 to 2002, as a member of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. In March 2001 he founded the “Free Citizens Movement (KEP) party” until June 2002.
From 2000 to 2002, he was elected President of the “Summit Conference of the Mayors of the World” and during this period he founded the “World Union of Olympic Cities”, “Athens’ International Prize for Democracy”, and “World Institute of Global and Cities’ Diplomacy” (Rome
).
In 2004 the “New Democracy” party won the elections. Dimitris Avramopoulos took the office of Minister of Tourism until 2006. From 2006 until 2009, he served as Minister of Health And Social Solidarity.
In the October 2009 election, Dimitris Avramopoulos was re-elected Deputy, member of the Greek Parliament for Athens A District.
After the election of Antonis Samaras in the “New Democracy” party Presidency he was appointed President of the Organizing Committee of the 8th Party Congress held in Athens in June 2010. In July 2010, he assumed the position of Vice-President of “New Democracy”, a post he currently holds.
On November 11, 2011 he was appointed Minister of Defence in the coalition Government of Lucas Papademos, resigning from his elected parliament seat, thus adhering to the "New Democracy" stance that no serving Members of Parliament from the Main Opposition Party may serve in ministerial posts.
(Paris
).
He also became Chairman of the Steering Committee on Cities´ Diplomacy, established by the Global Forum (Rome) and the World Bank Institute (Washington D.C.). He was elected President of the “World Institute of Global and Cities’ Diplomacy”, an independent NGO based in Rome as well as an Executive President of the “World Union of Olympic Cities”, an NGO, according to the Olympic Charter, recognized by the IOC (Lausanne).
He has also a postgraduate Specialization Diploma in International Organisation (Boston University / Brussels) and a Masters in European Studies (Institute of European Affairs of the “Université Libre de Bruxelles” in Brussels).
He was awarded honorary doctorates by Adelphi University
(Long Island, New York), Deree College
(Athens), Drexel University
(Philadelphia) and Kingston University
(London).
He was Honorary Professor of the State Academy of Technological Sciences of Moscow and Peking University (Beijing).
, Bulgaria
, Cyprus
, Estonia
, Finland
, France
, Germany
, Kazakhstan
, Luxembourg
, Malta
, Poland
, Portugal
, Spain
, Sweden
, Vatican City
, Venezuela
, Yugoslavia
, as well as from the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinopolis, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Patriarchate of Alexandria
.
He has also been awarded, in 2006, the “Vincitore Assoluto” Award of the Premio Internazionale “Giuseppe Sciacca”.
He has been presented with highest distinctions from many foreign cities and Municipalities: Ammohostos, Barcelona
, Beijing
, Beirut
, Berlin
, Boston
, Brooklyn N.Y., Bucharest, Caracas, Chicago
, Florence
, Genoa
, Jakarta
, Havana
, Istanbul
, Kiev
, Krotone, Ljubljana, Los Angeles
, Miami -Florida
, Massachusetts
, Montreal
, Moscow
, New Jersey
, New York, Nicosia, Paris, Philadelphia, Providence, Rhode Island, Rome
, Sofia, State of Illinois, Sydney
, Tbilisi
, Tirana
, Toronto
, Valletta
, Washington D.C., Xian, Yerevan
. He has also been awarded the Honorary Citizenship of 40 Greek and foreign cities.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
politician and diplomat. He was Mayor of Athens for eight years.
Personal information
He was born in Athens in 1953. He originated from Ilia, Arkadia. He served his military service in the Greek Air Force (1978–1980), based in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and in the NATO Headquarters in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. He is married to Vivian and has two sons, Filippos and Iasonas. He is fluent in English, French and Italian.
Diplomatic career
From 1980 since 1993 he served as a Career Diplomat to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens. From 1988 to 1992, he was Consul of GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
in Liege and Special Diplomatic Advisor to the President and Leader of the Nea Dimokratia Party, Costas Mitsotakis during this period. He also represented Greece in the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
at the same year. In 1992 he served as the Official Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Athens and was Consul General of Greece to Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. In 1993 he was appointed Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Prime Minister of Greece.
Political career
In 1993, he resigned from the Greek Diplomatic Service to enter the political arena, as a member of the Liberal Party “Nea Dimokratia” and he was elected member of the Central Committee. From 1993 to 1994 he was elected Deputy, member of the Greek Parliament. From 1994 to 2002 he was elected Mayor of AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and was reelected in October 1998. From 1995 to 1999 he served as Chairman of the Central Union of Local Authorities of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
In 1995 he founded and was the first President of the “Permanent Conference of the Mayors of the Capitals of Southeastern Europe”. From 1996 to 2000 he served as Vice President of the Executive Committee of the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) and from 1997 to 2002, as a member of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. In March 2001 he founded the “Free Citizens Movement (KEP) party” until June 2002.
From 2000 to 2002, he was elected President of the “Summit Conference of the Mayors of the World” and during this period he founded the “World Union of Olympic Cities”, “Athens’ International Prize for Democracy”, and “World Institute of Global and Cities’ Diplomacy” (Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
).
In 2004 the “New Democracy” party won the elections. Dimitris Avramopoulos took the office of Minister of Tourism until 2006. From 2006 until 2009, he served as Minister of Health And Social Solidarity.
In the October 2009 election, Dimitris Avramopoulos was re-elected Deputy, member of the Greek Parliament for Athens A District.
After the election of Antonis Samaras in the “New Democracy” party Presidency he was appointed President of the Organizing Committee of the 8th Party Congress held in Athens in June 2010. In July 2010, he assumed the position of Vice-President of “New Democracy”, a post he currently holds.
On November 11, 2011 he was appointed Minister of Defence in the coalition Government of Lucas Papademos, resigning from his elected parliament seat, thus adhering to the "New Democracy" stance that no serving Members of Parliament from the Main Opposition Party may serve in ministerial posts.
Other positions
From the beginning of his career until 2003, Dimitris Avramopoulos became Honorary President of the Athens’ International Prize for Democracy, under the auspices of UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
(Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
).
He also became Chairman of the Steering Committee on Cities´ Diplomacy, established by the Global Forum (Rome) and the World Bank Institute (Washington D.C.). He was elected President of the “World Institute of Global and Cities’ Diplomacy”, an independent NGO based in Rome as well as an Executive President of the “World Union of Olympic Cities”, an NGO, according to the Olympic Charter, recognized by the IOC (Lausanne).
Academic degrees
Avramopoulos has a Bachelor of Arts in Public Law and Political Science from the Law School of Athens’ University.He has also a postgraduate Specialization Diploma in International Organisation (Boston University / Brussels) and a Masters in European Studies (Institute of European Affairs of the “Université Libre de Bruxelles” in Brussels).
He was awarded honorary doctorates by Adelphi University
Adelphi University
Adelphi University is a private, nonsectarian university located in Garden City, in Nassau County, New York, United States. It is the oldest institution of higher education on Long Island. For the sixth year, Adelphi University has been named a “Best Buy” in higher education by the Fiske Guide to...
(Long Island, New York), Deree College
Deree College
DEREE - The American College of Greece is a private Center of Post-Lyceum Education, non-profit American institution of higher education, located in Athens, Greece. Its 64-acre main campus is located in the northeastern Athenian suburb of Aghia Paraskevi. DEREE-ACG is fully accredited by the New...
(Athens), Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
(Philadelphia) and Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
(London).
He was Honorary Professor of the State Academy of Technological Sciences of Moscow and Peking University (Beijing).
Honorary distinctions and awards
He has received awards and recognitions from many countries: AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, as well as from the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinopolis, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Patriarchate of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
.
He has also been awarded, in 2006, the “Vincitore Assoluto” Award of the Premio Internazionale “Giuseppe Sciacca”.
He has been presented with highest distinctions from many foreign cities and Municipalities: Ammohostos, Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Brooklyn N.Y., Bucharest, Caracas, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Krotone, Ljubljana, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Miami -Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, New York, Nicosia, Paris, Philadelphia, Providence, Rhode Island, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Sofia, State of Illinois, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Valletta
Valletta
Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,098. The name "Valletta" is traditionally reserved for the historic walled citadel that serves as Malta's...
, Washington D.C., Xian, Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
. He has also been awarded the Honorary Citizenship of 40 Greek and foreign cities.