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Kyrgiakos Argyropoulos: After the First World War there was economic migration of people in Greece. Among them was my grandfather. He went all the way to Australia. My other grandfather left for America. They left for entirely economic reasons – to earn money and their families to survive. Because hunger and poverty were much greater in Greece. Greece began to grow when it became one of the countries of the European Union. The infrastructure was improved with European money. A lot of money was flown and a lot of money disappeared. These are things that happen in Bulgaria, unfortunately ... Brains and talents have always been leaving. Greek diaspora is around the whole world. Everyone is searching the most convenient place to live or the place where they will have more economic stability. This is a normal process. There will be brain and talent drain. These are people who appreciate their talent, know that they are people in demand. The world is open for them. Unfortunately, a process is going in Greece which further affects the lack of faith in the young that things are going as they should. They do not trust politicians. So, they look for countries that are more economically and politically stable. Countries where they might feel good.  

GRREPORTER: Young people are looking for countries where rules are respected. It's quite sad to Greece ...

Kyrgiakos Argyropoulos: Yes. Keep in mind that many Greeks who traveled abroad, mainly to Germany, Holland, Denmark and Canada, were not professionals. Families working in the field of services went there. There was not a total departure of intellectuals, of the colour of the nation. Probably they are forced to leave now, because education has entered very deeply into society, it has developed. Now there are more graduates, professionals in a field. Going to specialize in a more developed country, they remain there because they have more opportunities.

GRREPORTER: The younger generation of Greeks has a different, a more modern way of thinking. But they believe they can not implement it in their country. And Greece needs these people.

Kyrgiakos Argyropoulos: Yes, I have personally felt that a new generation was born and has made its own way in Greece. This is the generation born after 1990s. I felt that a new wave is coming, a generation that is to replace the old one. You can feel it even in the culture, if you will. I work a lot in theater. And I felt there some young people are entering this field, people who have different thinking, who have different and more modern perception of the world.

GRREPORTER: What are your favorite places in Greece?

Kyrgiakos Argyropoulos: Greece, like Bulgaria, is a very beautiful country. I like the places where civilization enters only in the tourist season. These are the small islands, inaccessible for cars. There is the beauty and people are different. Their way of life makes them more humane, purer and more real. Otherwise, technocracy changed quite all of us. To meet nature and these people there is just incredible. Here, for the first time in many years I went to the Black Sea and was in shock when I saw how savagely they’ve built it. But this is not civilization. This is a robbery ...