ATHENS – During a relaxed interview on ‘Alpha’ television with Stamatina Tsimtsili, the U.S. Ambassador to Greece George J. Tsunis spoke, among other things, about his Greek heritage and summers in his beloved village of Platanos, the journey back to his homeland as ab ambassador, the lessons his beloved father taught him, and the secrets of the success of his marriage.

At the start of the conversation, Tsunis informed that “the Prime Minister of Greece was asked by the President of the United States, in the Oval Office, if I was enjoying my tenure as ambassador, and he said in both Greek and English, ‘His smile hasn’t left his face since the day he came to Greece.’ It wasn’t just a lifelong dream of mine to serve my homeland, but it was also the happiest two years of my life to live in Greece and live among Greeks.”

The Greek-American official explained that when his parents immigrated to the United States, his father worked as a waiter and his mother was a seamstress. “We were working-class people, and my parents taught me to respect everyone,” he noted.

Responding to a related question about memories of summer vacations in his parents’ village, Platanos, Tsunis said, “those are the happiest memories of my life. The first time I came in 1975, I was seven years old, and that was the first summer I realized how my parents had grown up.”

They were raised in the mountainous region of Nafpaktia, in the village of Platanos, “a very beautiful village nestled in the mountains,” as he himself said, but hardships were not absent. “When my parents were growing up, they didn’t have electricity, they didn’t have water.”

He became emotional when later in the interview, the U.S. Ambassador spoke about his father who passed away 22 years ago: “As a father, now that I have three children, I remember him every day. And I remember not only my feelings but also the lessons he tried to teach me. My father talked about honor. He talked about integrity. He talked about how we should treat others, he talked about the respect we should have for all people. My father worked many, many years as a waiter, and even when he had his own restaurant and had some success in his life, he continued to treat everyone with such great respect. The second thing I remember from my father was the value of education. I was the first in my family to go to school, the first to go to college. The third thing [taught me] was to learn a trade to be able to put food on the table, to have some financial success. In every way, that is important, but the most important thing is to find a life partner. Someone to stand by you in life and have a family.”

Asked if he thinks his father would be proud of his current position as U.S. Ambassador to Greece, he replied: “I hope so, but I lost him 22 years ago and I wish we could share this together.”

“My mother comes to Greece often,” Tsunis added, recalling this year’s Christmas when they all went together to the village for the holidays for the first time in 63 years.

“The first memory I have of my mother was her saying… ‘I don’t care if I have to clean toilets to send you to school. I will do whatever it takes, but you will go to school.’ You know, my mother said ‘I want to raise scientists. I want to give you the opportunities we didn’t have,’ and that’s part of the Greek ‘ethos’,” he said.
Responding to a question about the decision to come with his family to Greece, Tsunis, noted: “I will tell you as a father of three teenagers that they have opinions about everything. And they’re not ashamed to express them. I came in early May 2022, but it’s been two academic years. They all attend school in Athens. They are doing great. They have made some great friends and have had some wonderful experiences. And as I am about to return to the United States – in about ten-and-a-half months, you know – it will be bittersweet for them, though I think they are eager to return. They will always appreciate the two-and-a-half years they lived in Greece.”

The Ambassador emphasized that, “my children learned Greek before they learned English.”

Referring to his wife Olga (Antzoulis) and her origins, the Greek-American official explained that “my wife has seven first cousins who live in Lamia and many aunts and uncles… she is very, very proud of these roots, and she spent her summers in Lamia.”

Asked about the secret of their successful marriage, Tsunis jokingly replied: “Incredible patience on the part of my wife.” And he added, “I managed to find a sincere life partner who stood by me in good times and bad. And we focus exclusively on setting a good example for our children,” stressing that family is “everything.”

Regarding the loss of about 39 kilos in 1.5 years, Tsunis noted that the difference was made by Greek food. “I have pastitsio and moussaka [in my diet], but most days it’s salad, soup, fish, chicken, turkey, fruits, vegetables, water – I have cut out sugar, I have cut out flour, and I walk a lot.”

Regarding whether he is currently working on any plans/programs that he would like to share, the American ambassador said that “we are working on many things. Foreign direct investment is at record levels and this is important because prosperity means peace and stability. At the Delphi Economic Forum next month there will be a huge delegation from the United States.”

“Greece is so important in the region,” he continued. “It is becoming the energy supplier of Southeastern Europe. Greece is changing the energy map. Greece plays a very important role in the European integration of the Balkans. And Greece is a provider of stability in a region with many arcs of instability. So, in terms of information, defense, and diplomacy, Greece is the key ally in the region. Greece has impact, Greece is reliable and is a provider of stability. So when I tell you that I am proud to be the U.S. ambassador here, [I add] that I have great admiration not only for the Greek people but also for the way the Greek government behaves on the world stage,” he concluded.