Yannis Alexis Zepos

Yannis Alexis Zepos

Ambassador a.h.

Vice Chairman, Global Visa Center World Hellas; Sec. Gen. of Greek Foreign Ministry (2009-2012) , Greece

Ambassador Yannis-Alexis Zepos was born in Athens, Greece. He graduated from the Faculty of Law, Department of Law and Economic Sciences of the University of Athens.
In November 1974, he entered the Greek Diplomatic Service and served initially as Attaché of Embassy, at the Western European Political Affairs Directorate and later on, at the Diplomatic Office of the President of the Republic,(1975-1976)
During his career, he served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the Department for Western European Political Affairs (1980 - 1982), and at the Department for Balkan, Central and Eastern European Political Affairs, including the then U.S.S.R. (1990 - 1992). He later on, served as Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs (2002-2004).
Abroad he served in the following Missions :
• In the Embassy of Greece in Lisbon as Secretary (1976-1980)
• In Cairo, as Consul General of Greece (1982-1987)
• In the Embassy of Greece in Madrid as Counsellor (1987-1990)
• In Chicago, as Consul General of Greece (1992-1995)
• In Brussels, as Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Permanent Representative of Greece to NATO (1995-1997)
• In New Delhi, as Ambassador of Greece to India - with parallel accreditation to Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives (1997-2002)
• In Brussels, as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Greece to NATO (2004-2007)
• In Cairo, as Ambassador of Greece to Egypt (2007-2009)
• Also, in 2009 he was selected as a member of the small "Group of Experts" with Madeleine Albright, to draft the new Strategic Concept of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO)
• In October 2009, he was appointed Secretary General of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position he held until July 2012.
Ambassador Zepos was awarded the Grand Cross of the Greek Order of the Phoenix and has received decorations from Cyprus, Portugal, Italy, Egypt, Spain, France and the Netherlands.
He was Chairman of the Board of the NGO “Citizens Movement for an Open Society" from 2015 to 2022 and is curently Special Advisor of the “ELIAMEP” think tank. He is also a member of “The Friends of Music Society”, of the Athens Megaron. He has published a book under the title “A Diplomatic Journey” and continues to publish articles relating to foreign policy and other issues in newspapers and magazines.
He speaks English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.