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The Foundation

Konstantinos Karamanlis

Historical Archive

Library

Conferences & Events

Research & Publications

The Foundation

The establishment of the “Constantinos G. Karamanlis” Foundation in 1983 was the result of an initiative by three men of letters, K. Tsatsos, K. Trypanis and K. Svolopoulos. K. Karamanlis responded positively to the proposal of all three of his collaborators and proceeded with the establishment of the Foundation, believing that “History should not be forgotten” and that “the lessons of History are always relevant”.

His decision to deposit his political archive in a non-profit Foundation that would bear his name was pioneering and contributed decisively to the substantive scientific approach to the problems of modern Greek history. The adoption, since then, of his example by other Greek politicians and by Foundations that were established with a similar character, attests to the timely response to the general spirit of the times.

The Foundation is a private legal entity and is governed by the laws on public benefit foundations. Its establishment and operation were based exclusively on the financial support of individuals, close relatives and friends of K. Karamanlis. The first President was Konstantinos Tsatsos. Today, the President of the Board of Directors is Achilleas Karamanlis, the Honorary President is Ambassador Petros Molyviatis and the General Director is Professor Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos, former Minister of Education.

The Foundation’s building, in Filothei, was erected according to a design by Jason Rizos, on a privately owned plot of land that K. Karamanlis himself offered, at the same time as the deposit of his personal archive. The construction of the building was completed in October 1987 and was followed by the installation, equipment, enrichment and systematic organization of the Archive and the Library, thanks also to the contribution of close friends of the president and primarily his brother, Grammenos G. Karamanlis.

Konstantinos Karamanlis himself, according to his wishes, was buried on April 24, 1998, in the grounds of the Foundation.

Objectives – Activities

Objectives

The main purpose of the Foundation is the research of the historical events of the period after World War II, in combination with the systematic study and research of the work of Konstantinos Karamanlis and the promotion of the idea of ​​a United Europe. A fundamental prerequisite for achieving this goal has been the collection, preservation and utilization of his personal archive and the archives of his collaborators, with the aim of promoting scientific research, far from any political or other expediency.

Recent Activities

  • Operation of a Historical Archive
  • Operation of a Library
  • Enrichment of collections
  • Publications
  • Holding conferences, seminars, lectures, exhibitions and cultural events
  • Cooperation with corresponding foreign Foundations, such as the Konrad Adenauer, Charles De Gaulle, Mario Soares Foundations, etc.
  • Establishment of the "Constantinos G. Karamanlis" Chair of Greek and European Studies at the Fletcher School of Tufts University in Boston.
  • Participation in training programs

Board of Directors

Achilleas Karamanlis

President

Constantinos Ach. Karamanlis

Vice-President

Fotini Karamanli

Treasurer

Constantinos A. Karamanlis

Member

Michalis Liapis

Member

Prokopis Pavlopoulos

Member

Sofia Staikou

Member

Thanasis Martinos

Member

General Director

Constantinos Arvanitopoulos, Professor, Former Minister

The "Constantinos G. Karamanlis" Chair

The “Constantinos G. Karamanlis” Chair in Greek and European Studies was established in 2001 to support teaching and research on Greece and Europe at the Fletcher School of International Affairs at Tufts University in Boston. The initiative for its establishment belonged to the “Constantinos G. Karamanlis” Foundation and was supported by friends of Tufts University in Greece and the United States. The holders of the Chair have been, in chronological order:

  • Thanos Veremis, Professor at the University of Athens, (2001-2003)
  • George Prevelakis, Professor at the Sorbonne University, (2003-2005)
  • Dimitris Kairidis, Professor at Panteion University, (2005-2007)
  • Costas Lavdas, Professor at the University of Crete (2007-2008)
  • Alexandros Giannis, Senior Analyst at the European Union (2008-2009)
  • George Mavrogordatos, Professor at the University of Athens (2009-2010)
  • Michalis Psalidopoulos, Professor at the University of Athens (2010-2014)
  • Costas Lavdas, Professor at the University of Crete (2014-2016)
  • George Alogoskoufis, Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business (2016-2019)
  • Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos, Professor of International Relations at Panteion University (2019-2022)
  • Fotini Pazartzi, Professor of Public International Law at the School of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (2022-2025)
  • Dimitrios Skiadas, Professor and Jean Monnet Chair holder at the Department of International and European Studies/University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, Greece (2025- present)

Since its establishment, the Chair has offered postgraduate courses, while also organizing numerous conferences, lectures and seminars.

For more information: http://fletcher.tufts.edu/KaramanlisChair

Podcast

The “Konstantinos G. Karamanlis” Foundation is presenting a series of historical podcasts featuring politicians, intellectuals, and historians. Tune in!

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