When the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) government launched its policy of Greek-Turkish rapprochement during my tenure as foreign minister, many people were suspicious of mending ties with an old enemy. Changing entrenched attitudes could not happen overnight: it required a step-by-step process of confidence-building measures, from the grassroots level to the heights of political power.
由于欧盟在今年5月成功地吸纳了10个新成员国-包括8个经济发展水平低得多的前共产主义国家-有人就认为欧盟应该到此为止了。但在欧盟扩大的进程中划一条界线不但会使欧盟错失良机，对于那些位于巴尔干和其它地区的国家而言也是一种残酷的打击。对于这些国家来说，加入欧盟的前景是它们进行改革和复兴的重要动因。