‘ I saw Costas Simitis moved only once” revealed Peter Efthymiou

Deeply moved the , who was Minister of Education over the government of Simitis, spoke of his death by sending his condolences and revealing an unknown story. As Peter Efthymiou said, Kostas Simitis “was a man deeply constituted, a man who studied it in depth and mainly created groups of very capable collaborators on every subject. That’s why he’s achieved so much. Since you find me on the highway by chance to tell you something. Costas Simitis was a very restrained man.” CORVERSE “I remember once we had an appointment, I was his minister, I was Minister of Education and we had a meeting that came directly from the opening of the bypass tunnels of Patras – Athens National Road, which no longer passed through Patras. Whatever old people remember it was a nightmare, but it became this ring that passes over Patras, through tunnels, through a wonderful engraving, modern, functional and redeeming for the economy, for the citizens. Well, Costas Simitis was never expressive. Never. He was very restrained. That time I can say it was the only time I saw him touched. He tells me Peter, when in the 1950s I and my brother studied in Germany, then we went through Italy, by trains, by buses, we took the ferry boat from Patras and we went up and saw, he said to Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Autobahn and I said “My God, that is how our Greece must become modern, be able to compete in the heart of Europe on equal terms”, he says. Today I said, we got it. That was his thrill. Making Greece equal within Europe, not with our ancient glory, with our modern works, with our successes. We are talking about one, in my opinion a great politician[…]”. CORVERSE “I believe it is a loss for our Greece. It’s just that Costas Simitis is the politician who will stay with his work in common consciousness as a man who served his place properly, contributed to the foundation of a major reorientation of the Greek economy, helped to shield Greece in its international position, entering the core of the European Union with EMU and participating Greece in the hard core of the European Union,” he noted. “And something I haven’t heard yet in the first honorary farewells we are talking about the excellent effort that led to the entry of Cyprus into the European Union, which in world history is too rare, if not rare, to overturn the data of a military occupation by diplomatic means,” stressed former PASOK Minister Peter Efthymiou. “We are talking about a man who has benefited his place in every respect. And we are therefore talking about a great Greek politician,” pointed out Mr. Efthymiou.