Konstantinos Karamanlis

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen is due Tuesday in Athens, where she will meet with her recently appointed Greek counterpart, Evangelos Apostolakis.

She will also meet with opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis and address an event at the Constantinos Karamanlis Institute for Democracy.

After the adventures, contradictions and hyperbole of the past - even the dangerous recklessness of certain politicians gripped by delusions - the overwhelming majority of Greece's political parties (all of whom have either exercised power or may be called to do so soon) appear to agree on the basic parameters of the country's foreign policy.

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias on Sunday issued a stern statement accusing New Democracy leader of being irresponsible and unserious when it comes to matters of foreign policy following the opposition leader's criticism of the government's concessions in the Macedonia name deal with Skopje.

Greece needs to be redesigned from scratch. The state, its laws, its justice system - they all need to be rebuilt. History - unfortunately - requires such revolutionary changes after great tragedies and misadventures. 

Constantinos Karamanlis had such an opportunity after the restoration of democracy in Greece.

Anyone involved in politics needs to have a strong stomach and plenty of patience.

Up until very recently, members of the Athenian elite were often heard complaining about New Democracy's leader: "Kyriakos [Mitsotakis] doesn't have what it takes. He must say more populist things, tell a few lies, it's not that bad." 

Achilleas Karamanlis, former conservative minister and vice chairman of the Constantine Karamanlis Foundation, has criticized the agreement between Athens and Skopje on the name dispute "as the worst possible solution" for Greece's national interests.

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday met with former conservative prime minister Costas Karamanlis at his Parliament office.

A statement by the main opposition party said the two men discussed Karamanlis's recent three-day visit to the northern Greek region of Thrace.

Twenty years have gone by since Constantine Karamanlis's passing and one thing remains clear: He was a true political leader who gained the respect of the the Greek people and of whom New Democracy is proud.

It has been 20 years since the death of Constantine Karamanlis. Unlike many other prominent political figures of the modern Greek state, that undoubtedly great leader and politician was fortunate enough to live to witness general acceptance and recognition of his words and actions.

The European Union's public and firm support toward Greece and Cyprus is of historical significance. I'm not sure whether it will have any practical impact. This will become evident in the coming days and weeks. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is unpredictable and, unfortunately, Greek-Turkish ties have accumulated a lot of negative energy over the past few months.