Giorgos Gerapetritis (; born 26 June 1967) is a Greek politician, professor and lawyer serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs since June 2023. He previously served as Minister of State from 2019 to 2023 and as Minister of Infrastructure and Transport from March to May 2023. A member of New Democracy, he was a member of the Hellenic Parliament from 2019 to 2023.
Born in Karpathos, Gerapetritis attended Ionideios Model High School of Piraeus and later studied at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He earned his master's degree in public law at the University of Edinburgh and his doctorate in law from the University of Oxford. He then became a Chevening Scholar of the British Council for postgraduate research and a Fellow at the French Conseil d’Etat. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Global Law and Policy at Harvard Law School, and has been a professor of constitutional law in the faculty of law at the University of Athens since 2003. In his legal career, Gerapetritis was the Legal Counsel to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2002 to 2003 and also to the Minister of Education and Religions from 2007 to 2008. He was also Legal Counsel to the Prime Minister's office from 2009 to 2010.
Gerapetritis was elected to the Hellenic Parliament at the 2019 Greek legislative election, and was appointed Minister of State under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis shortly after his election. He became the acting Minister of Infrastructure and Transport in March 2023 after the resignation of his predecessor, Kostas Karamanlis, following the Tempi train crash. He served in both ministerial positions until the dissolution of the First Mitsotakis Cabinet in May 2023. He returned to the government in the Second Mitsotakis Cabinet in June of the same year as Minister for Foreign Affairs. His tenure as foreign minister has come amidst several foreign conflicts, notably the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Gaza war. His tenure has also overseen closer relations with Turkey, as well as with the United States and other European countries. He has advocated for the return of the Elgin Marbles to Greece, and also overseen Greece's successful candidacy to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2025–26 term.
Early life and education Gerapetritis was born in Karpathos on 26 June 1967 and grew up in Piraeus. He graduated from the Ionideios Model High School of Piraeus in 1985.
Gerapetritis studied at the law school of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and graduated in 1989. He earned his master's degree in public law at the University of Edinburgh and his doctorate in law from the University of Oxford in 1995.
Career
Academic From 1992 to 1994, Gerapetritis was a Scholar of the Hellenic Scholarship Foundation for postgraduate research in the United Kingdom, France and Belgium. In 1995, he was Chevening Scholar of the British Council for postgraduate research in the United Kingdom and also a Fellow at the French Conseil d’Etat. In 2003, he was a German Marshal Memorial Fund Fellow and in 2012 he was a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of Global Law and Policy at Harvard Law School. From 2015 to 2016, he was a Visiting Fellow at the Institute of European and Comparative Law at the University of Oxford and also a Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London.
Since 2003, Gerapetritis has been a professor of Constitutional Law in the Faculty of Law at the University of Athens. He has also been Director of the Department of Public Law and Member of the Rectorship of at the Faculty of Law of the University of Athens since 2016.
Public administration From 2002 to 2003, Gerapetritis was the Legal Counsel to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and from 2004 to 2008 he was the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the European Network and for the improvement of Higher Education. From 2007 to 2010, he was the representative of the Ministry of Justice in the Group of States against Corruption and from 2007 to 2008 he was the Legal Counsel to the Minister of Education and Religions. He was also Legal Counsel to the Prime Minister's office from 2009 to 2010.
Organisations Since 2016, Gerapetritis has been a member of the executive committee of the European Public Law Organisation and also of the European Group of Public Law. With Ant. Sakkoulas Publications, he has been a Publication Research Fellow of the Commentary of the Constitution since 2003, Research Collaborator of the journal Human Rights since 1998 and a member of the Editorial Committee of the journal The Constitution since 2004. He has also been a researcher at the Hellenic and Foreign Law Institute since 2004 and General Secretary of the Hellenic Union for the Democracy and the Legislation since 2003.
Gerapetritis was a member of the Board of the National Commission for Human Rights of the Hellenic Republic from 2015 to 2018. In 2006, he was a Legal expert of the Council of Europe in the national coordination in the fields of Local Government and Legislation and was Director of Research at Transparency International-Greece from 2002 to 2007.
Legal and political Gerapetritis is an Attorney at Law and member of the Piraeus Association Bar, pleading before the Hellenic Council of State, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights. He specialises in public law, EU law, administrative law, human rights law and telecommunications law.
In the 2019 Greek legislative election, he was elected as a member of parliament. On 9 July 2019, he was appointed Minister of State under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. On 1 March 2023, after the resignation of Kostas Karamanlis following the Tempi train crash, he became the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport.
Foreign minister (2023–present)
Appointment and early tenure
Gerapetritis was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs on 27 June 2023 under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the Second Cabinet of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The first official visit abroad Gerapetritis went on was to Cyprus on 4 July. He was initially received by President Nikos Christodoulides, before meeting with his counterpart the Cypriot Foreign Minoster Constantinos Kombos. In joint statements with Kombos, Gerapetritis stated that the Cyprus issue was a "top national foreign policy priority" for Greece, and also said that the solution must be "functional and grant the reunited Cyprus Republic the future it deserves." Gerapetritis also stated that they were living in "historic moments" and that the circumstances were "significant" and quite "challenging regionally and internationally." Additionally, Gerapetritis also discussed the steps taken by Greece and Cyprus in building deeper ties with regional allies, particularly Israel.
On 6 July, Gerapetritis received Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Athens. After their meeting during joint statements, Gerapetritis stated regarding developments in the region that "it is clear that violence is not the solution nor the answer" and went on to reiterate Greece's position that Greece are "in favour of a mutually accepted solution for the Palestine issue." Gerapetritis also said that they discussed the trilateral cooperation with Cyprus, and that he believed Greece, Israel, Cyprus and the United States are states that are "united with common interests and common values."
On 8 July, in an address to the Hellenic Parliament, Gerapetritis stated that Greece would do whatever is necessary to end the detention of Mayor Fredis Beleris, adding that Albania "must respect the rule of law" if it wanted to become a "member of the European family." Gerapetritis also welcomed Finland's accession to NATO and expressed support for Sweden's accession to NATO, as well as continuing to support Ukraine and the "full restoration of its territorial integrity."
North America United States On 24 September 2023, Gerapetritis met with former U.S. Presidential candidate and Governor Michael Dukakis in Brookline in Boston. Gerapetritis thanked Dukakis on his role in promoting Greece–United States relations, and their discussion focused on development in Greece and improving the economy there. They also discussed climate change as well as the need for global action to address the consequences of it.
On 6 January 2024, Gerapetritis received U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the island of Crete before Blinken met with Prime Minister Mitsotakis. Gerapetritis later also attended a cooperation meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou, U.S. Ambassador to Greece George Tsunis and U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tom Sullivan.
On 9 February 2024, Gerapetritis signed Greece up to the Artemis Accords, a set of principles which guide space exploration cooperation amongst countries. Greece became the 35th country to sign up to the Accords, and Gerapetritis said that the signing of the Accords was "in order to just be together not only on Earth but also in space." At the meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, he also stated that "what is urgently needed is global cooperation based on ethical commitments and the authority of international law" and that they "actively support EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and Ukraine." He also addressed an event at the Wilson Centre titled "Our Ocean Countdown, Greece 2024: An Ocean of Potential" where he participated in discussion with the United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry.
On 18 March 2024, Gerapetritis had a teleconference with Blinken whilst he attended the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. They reportedly discussed the instability in the Red Sea region, and the role of Greece in helping to promote security in the region, as well as the importance of the agreement between the EU and Egypt in helping to promote security at sea.
On 20 June 2024, Gerapetritis met with a delegation from the United States led by Republican U.S. Representative and Chair of the Homeland Security Committee, Mark Green, in Athens. The delegation Gerapetritis met with included Republicans Michael Guest, Alex Mooney and Debbie Lesko, and Democrats Zoe Lofgren and Norma Torres, who were accompanied by Ambassador Tsunis. Gerapetritis said that Greek-American relations were at an all-time high, as well as highlighting that Greece's foreign policy remained based on international law. Talks between Gerapetritis and the delegation focused on Greece–Turkey relations and the Cyprus issue, as well as the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and also Greece's efforts to become independent in energy.
On 26 February 2025, Gerapetritis held meetings with American members of Congress in Washington, D.C, including the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jim Risch, the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jeanne Shaheen, the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Brian Mast, and the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks. The discussions held focused on the promotion of Greece as an investment destination and also its role as an energy hub in the Eastern Mediterranean. Gerapetritis also met with Greek-American members of Congress, Dina Titus, Gus Bilirakis and Chris Pappas, and held separate meetings with Senators Chris Van Hollen and Cory Booker on 27 February.