Kostas Bakoyannis spoke to Giorgos Evgenidis on the Direct show at protothema.gr about his new life, his future political plans, his relationship with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the viral “super international relations expert” moment.

The former Mayor of Athens did not hide his disappointment over the 2023 election results, saying that the loss was a difficult personal moment. However, he emphasized, “If you don’t lose in politics, you don’t move forward.” He also mentioned the “Great Walk” (Μεγάλος Περίπατος) and sharply criticized his successor, Haris Doukas: “Haris Doukas said during the election campaign that he would dedicate himself to Athens, and it is clear that he treats the municipality as a part-time job. I realize that Athens is currently headless.”

“Used to hearing everything” Referring to the viral “super international relations expert” comment on ERT, which received much attention on social media, Kostas Bakoyannis said, “I don’t suffer from a persecution complex. I’m used to it, and I know that anyone exposed to public life will hear everything and must accept it all, even the excesses.”

The next day and political ambitions Asked about his future and the possibility of his involvement in central politics, Kostas Bakoyannis kept all options open. He said that he hasn’t made any decisions yet, but “I’ve never been afraid of the fire in my life.” Regarding his relationship with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he described it as “excellent.”

The international chessboard and the new reality “There have been times when we had economic, political, and ideological differences with America. This is the first time that all three converge at the same point. We are talking about the perfect storm. This means that Europe must finally come of age,” he emphasized, adding, however, that “one of the good news stories in recent weeks is that we seem to be rediscovering European patriotism.” He made a special reference to the need to reassess Greece’s foreign policy in light of the new realities: “Everything we know should be forgotten. We must revisit the basic assumptions from the beginning. I’m not just talking about Turkey, but all fronts. For example, the security we had, thinking that if something happens with Turkey, we could rely on some intervention from the other side of the Atlantic. Now, we cannot be sure of that,” he noted.