Former Greek Foreign Minister Petros Molyviatis has died of respiratory failure at the age of 96, the Greek television channel ERT-news reported.
He was born on June 12, 1928 on the island of Chios. A graduate of the University of Athens, a lawyer by training, Molyviatis was a career diplomat, a member of Greece's permanent delegations to the UN and NATO, served in the Greek embassies in Moscow, Pretoria and Ankara, and from 1974 to 1980 was a diplomatic advisor and director general of the political office of Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis. Later, when Karamanlis became President of Greece (1980-1985, 1990-1995), he was Secretary General and Head of the Presidential Office.
In 1996 and 2000, he was elected as a member of parliament from the “New Democracy“ party. In May 2004, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece after the victory of “New Democracy“. in the parliamentary elections in March of the same year and held this post until 15 February 2006. From 17 May to 21 June 2012, Molyviatis was again Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interim government of Panagiotis Pikramenos. On 28 August 2015, Molyviatis was reappointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interim cabinet of Vassiliki Thanou-Christofilou.
The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its condolences to his family and loved ones.