Theodoros Pangalos

The history of the secret services is, by its very nature, a fascinating subject. In the "civilized" world, their archives are declassified and turned over to researchers, offering crucial missing historical puzzle pieces. Our country, unfortunately, lags on this issue and we often learn our history from foreign archives.

Theodoros Pangalos, a former Greek foreign minister known for his undiplomatic outbursts and on whose watch Greece suffered one of its most embarrassing foreign policy debacles in 1999, has died. He was 84.

Pangalos' family said on Twitter that he died on Wednesday "peacefully at home, surrounded by his family and close associates."

Theodoros Pangalos, a former foreign minister with Socialist PASOK in the 1990s, died on Wednesday, aged 84. The news was announced by his family on his Twitter account. 

"Our beloved Theodoros Pangalos died today peacefully at home with his family and close associates by his side. Have a good journey our beloved. We will always remember you with love," the tweet said. 

About eight years after withdrawing from Greek politics, an application submitted by former foreign minister and ex-MP Theodoros Pangalos to receive a free, brand new car.

The elderly and pensioners in Greece are accustomed to a life of sacrifice, having served as a bedrock for their families and the country during difficult times.

During the recent economic crisis, they saw their pensions slashed and had to suffer the humiliation of being accused by former socialist politician Theodoros Pangalos of being complicit in the country's financial demise.

Ahead of May's European Parliament elections, former socialist prime minister Costas Simitis has lambasted the ruling SYRIZA party as opportunistic and for siding with the right and far-right of the political spectrum to gain power.

Former Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos said police should have the right to shoot anyone wielding a gun, during a radio interview on Thursday.

His comment came during a discussion on the fatal shooting of a 35-year-old ethnic Greek man by police in southern Albania on Sunday.

Former Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos has sparked controversy after using the phrase "the only good Turk is a dead Turk" in a radio interview on Tuesday.

Speaking to Skai radio, Pangalos argued that Greece faced a "huge" problem with Turkey. "The enemy is relentless and will not be overcome, regardless of how much good faith we show," he said.

The theory and practice of Greece's Renewing Left - which later became one of the founding forces of SYRIZA (following, of course, numerous additions and transformations which altered the party's original character) - was formed through its opposition to the neighboring political forces, namely the Greek Communist Party (KKE) and PASOK socialists.

A Turkish cargo ship ran aground on a tiny rocky island in the Aegean Sea in December 1995. But a dispute between Turkey and Greece over who owned the island sovereignty almost brought the two nations to war. Agreement still hasn’t been reached over the territory called Kardak by the Turks and Imia by the Greeks.