There's no more beautiful place on earth than the Greek Islands.

0:00 Speaker 1 Well Sunday morning with us today is Ambassador George Soon. He is a New Yorker. He was a businessman in New York. Uh. He was a uh political he always got involved in politics. These people loved him. And then one day he woke up and got offered the ambassadorship to uh, to Greece, of where his forefathers are from.

0:28 Speaker 2 Uh.

0:28 Speaker 1 Ambassador tunis, good morning. How are you?

0:31 Speaker 2 Good morning, John? How are you my friend?

0:34 Speaker 1 That was must have been a real uh surprise and must have been a real uh that the President of the United States has offered you the ambassadorship uh to Gaston, to the land of your your forefathers and your grandfathers.

0:49 And uh uh and uh it must have made your family proud, it certainly. Uh.

0:56 Speaker 2 Did you know my mom and dad grew up in very small village in the mountains, no running water, no electricity in their houses, and there was an outhouse on the other side of the barn. So to have their son return as the personal representative of the president. Uh and as a US ambassador is you know something of

1:17 great profit family and my community. But it’s it’s it’s an incredible honor for me.

1:26 Speaker 1 And how is the transition. You’re you’re an American and you lived in Long Island all your life. You lived in Pennsylvania. Uh, living in Athens. You tell me about it.

1:39 Speaker 2 Well, I got to tell you. The weather’s fantastic, the food is unbelievable, the Mediterranean diet UH lives up to its reputation, and the people are incredibly friendly. I think the United States enjoys the highest favorability rate amongst any country.

2:01 That is in Greece. They love the United States, they love Americans, and because we have shared values. When our government was formed, it was based on self determination, the freedoms and the values and the principles that were born in ancient Greece democracy. So you know, the ties, the values, the priorities, the ethos that exists between the greatest democracy

2:31 in the world, the United States, in the first democracy in the world, Greece, are something that is still incredibly meaningful to the people of Greece.

2:40 Speaker 1 And when I saw you last week, when you’re in New York, you look the healthiest I’ve ever seen you in twenty years, and you lost eighty five pounds. It must be the terranean diet. A lot of olive oil, a lot of fish.

2:58 Speaker 2 Well, as my friend John Katzi Mediv says, if God made it, eat it, And that’s what I’m doing. I’m eating some good, wholesome food and I’m moving around. One of my favorite things to do is walk out of the embassy and just walk in all the neighborhoods, meet people, get to know people, and you know, I think the

3:24 best diplomacy is the one that starts with a handshake and is one that’s three feet apart. So getting to know as many Greeks as I can, you know, has not only been good for my health just walking around, but it really gives me an understanding of what people in Greece and people in Europe are concerned about. And

3:50 you know, it helps when we’re trying to act in concert and cooperation together to solve some of the challenges we have today.

4:00 Speaker 1 Understood now, I understand that the Prime Minister of Mitsu Takis is doing a fine job and cooperating with America. And you’re the American ambassador, so you have to work with him every day on various things. How does it?

4:18 I mean, are the relations good between Greece and America.

4:23 Speaker 2 The highest they have ever been? And you know this is a prime minister. That was Harvard, Stanford for a master’s Harvard Business School. He worked in the business community as for an investment banker. And you know, this is someone who has the brain of a banker, but the heart of a social worker and believes in the trans

4:48 atlantic relationship, believes in NATO, believes in the EU, but understands that Greece’s future is completely tied to its relationship, both economic and national security with the United States.

5:04 Speaker 1 So Greece’s economy is one of the best in Europe, I understand. And also tourism is way up. What do you tell us about that?

5:16 Speaker 2 Well, you know, Greece lived through a financial crisis and it’s been a complete one to eighty. It’s the fastest growing economy in Europe over the last three years. They have investment grade debt. Now the Greek ten year is about one hundred basis points less than the US ten year treasury, which is remarkable. Foreign direct investment is at

5:43 a record level. Their unemployment rate, which reached twenty eight percent, is now in the single digits. Very attractive debt profile. And you know, tourism is at a record level. But Greece has something that the United States has found very important.

6:04 They have a very highly educated, highly skilled, high tech workforce. So you have investments from Google, Amazon, Web Services, Microsoft, Deloitte, shub And and Pfizer. So American companies have discovered Greece. And you know the they’re growing at about three times the rate of the Eurozone right now.

6:34 Speaker 1 Wow, that is that is stupendous. Uh. And how are they you are the ambassador. How is the relationship with the with Turkey? Because for years and year, for four hundred years, they were having problems. Uh, And I understand it’s a lot better now it is.

6:53 Speaker 2 I mean, Turkey had a devastating earthquake about a year ago and Greece was the first to send help. And I think the people of Turkey appreciated. There has been you want to call it a warming of relations or approachment.

7:11 The Prime Minister of Prima Smitster Dykes and President Erdawan have met three times now in the last year. They’re planning on meeting in May in Ankara. But there’s a positive agenda and things are genuinely better. And you know this warming of relationships, peace and stability leads to prosperity, and you know this is an important US interest as

7:39 they’re both important NATO allies, and we’re very happy to see that the relationships are in a very good place right now.

7:48 Speaker 1 And Beassador George Sooners, thank you for what you do for our country, is serving our country, and for keeping things peaceful and and the relationships you’re building in the UH into in the Mediterranean Area and the whole UH.

8:08 That holy doesn’t that? I think you told me. It’s even bigger than that.

8:12 Speaker 2 Yeah, we’re you know, Greece is the key to connectivity, so energy connectivity, electrical grid connectivity, NATO logistics connectivity, commercial connectivity, highways, ports, railroads, linking countries together. They may remarkable progress with the Balkan countries. So if we’re going to integrate the Balkan countries in Europe in the West, de leverage Russia, get Russia’s boot off of southeastern Europe’s neck, it’s going to be the

8:47 cooperation UH and the leadership of the United States and Greece working together to do that.

8:55 Speaker 1 Ambassador George Sooners, thank you for everything you’ve done, have done, and I’ll do and they will catch up again real soon. Thank you so much, John.

9:04 Speaker 2 I look forward to seeing you in Nitos, your hometown this summer.

9:07 Speaker 1 Thank you you never know. Thank you very much.

9:12 Speaker 2 Bye bye, my friend.