Former Greek foreign minister Theodoros Pangalos dead at 85

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Former Greek Foreign Minister Theodoros Pangalos has died at 85, his family announced Wednesday.

"Our beloved Theodoros Pangalos passed away from us today, quietly at home, with his family and close associates by his side,” his family wrote on Twitter.

Pangalos was born in August 1938 and was elected for the first time as a lawmaker in the 1981 general election with the central-left PASOK party.

He was foreign minister from 1996 - 1999, culture minister in 2000 and deputy prime minister from 2009 - 2012.

Pangalos came under fire when he said on a radio show in 2018: “The only good Turk is a dead Turk. I believe this because I have not come across a good Turk. They lack basic appreciation.”