Michalis Papakonstantinou
 Michalis Papakonstantinou    (politician) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Μιχάλης Παπακωνσταντίνου 1 November 1919 |
| Died | January 17, 2010 (Age 90) |
| Nationality | Greek |
| Alma mater | Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Manchester, Cambridge University, University of Heidelberg |
| Relatives | Giorgos Papakonstantinou |
Michalis Papakonstantinou was a Greek politician. He held several ministerial posts under Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis. In 1992/93 he was the Greek Foreign Minister. He attended the 1993 Bilderberg meeting.
Background
Papakonstantinou studied law at the University of Thessaloniki and international law at the Universities of Manchester, Cambridge and Heidelberg.
Political career
He was first elected to the Greek Parliament for the Centre Union in 1961. In 1964, in the government of Prime Minister Georgios Papandreou, he was State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense.[1]
During the military dictatorship from 1967, a kind of house arrest was imposed on him in 1973, when the junta warned his wife that he would be arrested if he "walks around and chit-chats". After the end of the dictatorship, he unsuccessfully ran for the Center Union–New Forces, of which he was the secretary. He joined New Democracy in 1978 and was elected as a deputy in the 1981 parliamentary elections.[1]
He was Minister of Industry in the Tzannetakis government (1989). Under Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis, he was Minister of Agriculture (1990-1991), Justice (1991-1992) and Foreign Minister (1992-1993).[1]
At the end of 1993, he quarreled with the chairman of the New Democracy, Miltiadis Evert, when he criticized his nationalist handling of the "Macedonia question". He was expelled from the party by the disciplinary committee and remained an independent deputy.[1]
In October 1995 he was awarded the Abdi Ipekçi Prize for Greek-Turkish Friendship.[1]
Papakonstantinou was the uncle of the current Environment and former Finance Minister (2009-2011) Giorgos Papakonstantinou.[1]
Papakonstantinou wrote regularly for newspapers in Athens and Thessaloniki and foreign magazines and was the author of legal, historical and political books in Greek and English.[2]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1993 | 22 April 1993 | 25 April 1993 | Greece Nafsika Astir Palace Hotel Vouliagmeni | The 41st Bilderberg, held in Greece |
