In a surprise move, Greek ambassador to Germany Panagiotis Zografos resigned from his post just 24 hours after Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
The 60-year-old diplomat, who is Samaras’ second cousin, was reportedly angered by the fact he was not asked to accompany the Greek PM at the crucial meeting. Zografos said that this is not the reason.
Citing diplomatic sources, Greek newspaper “To Vima” says that Athens has been dissatisfied with Zografos for a long time and that the Greek Foreign Ministry has been complaining that he has been giving the German government an incomplete picture of Greece’s plans and intensions. The PM’s office was also dissatisfied with Zografos for not providing information on Merkel’s intentions prior to the meeting.
According to another source, though, Zografos allegedly warned Samaras that at this moment Merkel will not publicly commit to support the Greek government regarding the debt. The Ambassador allegedly advised Samaras to postpone his trip to Berlin because the current situation will not be favorable for Greece.
The Ambassador found out about the PM’s visit to Berlin by a lower-ranking official. When he complained to the PM’s diplomatic office, aide Stavros Vasilopoulos said that even his office did not know about the visit ahead of time.
The newspaper also reports that Zografos had a loud argument with another Samaras’ close aide, Chrysanthos Lazaridis, at the Hilton hotel.
Berlin has not yet commented on the resignation.
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