1.
Greece
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Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, historically also known as Hellas, is a country in southeastern Europe, with a population of approximately 11 million as of 2015. Athens is the capital and largest city, followed by Thessaloniki. Greece is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, situated on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, the Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to the northeast. Greece consists of nine regions, Macedonia, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, Thessaly, Epirus, the Aegean Islands, Thrace, Crete. The Aegean Sea lies to the east of the mainland, the Ionian Sea to the west, the Cretan Sea and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Greece has the longest coastline on the Mediterranean Basin and the 11th longest coastline in the world at 13,676 km in length, featuring a vast number of islands, eighty percent of Greece is mountainous, with Mount Olympus being the highest peak at 2,918 metres. From the eighth century BC, the Greeks were organised into various independent city-states, known as polis, which spanned the entire Mediterranean region and the Black Sea. Greece was annexed by Rome in the second century BC, becoming a part of the Roman Empire and its successor. The Greek Orthodox Church also shaped modern Greek identity and transmitted Greek traditions to the wider Orthodox World, falling under Ottoman dominion in the mid-15th century, the modern nation state of Greece emerged in 1830 following a war of independence. Greeces rich historical legacy is reflected by its 18 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, among the most in Europe, Greece is a democratic and developed country with an advanced high-income economy, a high quality of life, and a very high standard of living. A founding member of the United Nations, Greece was the member to join the European Communities and has been part of the Eurozone since 2001. Greeces unique cultural heritage, large industry, prominent shipping sector. It is the largest economy in the Balkans, where it is an important regional investor, the names for the nation of Greece and the Greek people differ from the names used in other languages, locations and cultures. The earliest evidence of the presence of human ancestors in the southern Balkans, dated to 270,000 BC, is to be found in the Petralona cave, all three stages of the stone age are represented in Greece, for example in the Franchthi Cave. Neolithic settlements in Greece, dating from the 7th millennium BC, are the oldest in Europe by several centuries and these civilizations possessed writing, the Minoans writing in an undeciphered script known as Linear A, and the Mycenaeans in Linear B, an early form of Greek. The Mycenaeans gradually absorbed the Minoans, but collapsed violently around 1200 BC and this ushered in a period known as the Greek Dark Ages, from which written records are absent. The end of the Dark Ages is traditionally dated to 776 BC, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the foundational texts of Western literature, are believed to have been composed by Homer in the 7th or 8th centuries BC. With the end of the Dark Ages, there emerged various kingdoms and city-states across the Greek peninsula, in 508 BC, Cleisthenes instituted the worlds first democratic system of government in Athens
2.
Greek government-debt crisis
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The Greek government-debt crisis is the sovereign debt crisis faced by Greece in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2007–08. The government enacted 12 rounds of tax increases, spending cuts, and reforms from 2010 to 2016, at that time, debt levels had reached €323bn or some €30,000 per capita. The 2001 introduction of the euro reduced trade costs among Eurozone countries, labour costs increased more in peripheral countries such as Greece relative to core countries such as Germany, eroding Greeces competitive edge. As a result, Greeces current account deficit rose significantly, a trade deficit means that a country is consuming more than it produces, which requires borrowing/direct investment from other countries. Both the Greek trade deficit and budget deficit rose from below 5% of GDP in 1999 to peak around 15% of GDP in the 2008–2009 periods, one driver of the investment inflow was Greeces membership in the EU and the Eurozone. As the Great Recession spread to Europe, the amount funds lent from the European core countries to the countries such as Greece began to decline. A country facing a “sudden stop” in private investment and a debt load typically allows its currency to depreciate to encourage investment. This was not possible while Greece remained on the Euro, instead, to become more competitive, Greek wages fell nearly 20% from mid-2010 to 2014, a form of deflation. This significantly reduced income and GDP, resulting in a recession, decline in tax receipts. Unemployment reached nearly 25%, from below 10% in 2003, significant government spending cuts helped the Greek government return to a primary budget surplus by 2014. In January 2010, the Greek Ministry of Finance published Stability, the report listed five main causes, poor GDP growth, government debt and deficits, budget compliance and data compatibility. Causes found by others included excess government spending, current account deficits, after 2008, GDP growth was lower than the Greek national statistical agency had anticipated. The global financial crisis had a large negative impact on GDP growth rates in Greece. Two of the countrys largest earners, tourism and shipping were badly affected by the downturn, the Ministry intended to implement real expenditure cuts that would allow expenditures to grow 3. 8% from 2009 to 2013, well below expected inflation at 6. 9%. Overall revenues were expected to grow 31. 5% from 2009 to 2013, secured by new, higher taxes, the deficit needed to decline to a level compatible with a declining debt-to-GDP ratio. The debt increased in 2009 due to the higher than expected government deficit, in addition to structural reforms, permanent and temporary austerity measures were needed. After 1993, the debt-to-GDP ratio remained above 94%, the crisis caused the debt level to exceed the maximum sustainable level. Budget compliance was acknowledged to need improvement, for 2009 it was found to be a lot worse than normal, due to economic control being more lax in a year with political elections
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WIND Hellas
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WIND Hellas, formerly STET Hellas, is an integrated telecommunications provider with headquarters in Athens, Greece. WIND is the 3rd largest mobile operator in Greece with more than 4.4 million active subscribers, STET Hellas originated in 1992 with the establishment of TELESTET, a subsidiary of the Italian company STET, now Telecom Italia. On September 30,1992 the Greek Ministry of Transport and Communications issued a license to STET to create a mobile telephony services network. The company invested the sum of 30 billion drachmas to create the network and this constituted one of the biggest investments in Greece since the end of the Second World War. Commercial operation started on June 29,1993 when the first call from a mobile phone took place in the country, in 1998 TELESTET was the first Greek mobile telephony company to be listed in international stock markets, the NASDAQ in New York City and the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. From 23 September 1999 TELESTET operated Iridium, the first mobile-telephony dedicated satellite in Greece, in June 2001, TELESTET was the first telecommunications company in Greece and one of the first in the world to obtain ISO9001,2000 Quality Management certification. In June 2001 the operators GPRS service went live, in July 2001 it was awarded the licence to offer a UMTS service for a concession fee of €146.7 million. The UMTS service went live on January 27,2004, on April 4,2005 TIM agreed to sell its 80. 87% equity stake in TIM Hellas to funds advised by Apax Partners and Texas Pacific Group. The transaction was for €1,114.1 million which valued TIM Hellas at €1,600 million or €16.43 per share, the transaction was completed following approval by state authorities in July 2005. On January 31,2006 WIND Hellas acquired Q-Telecom, Greece’s 4th mobile operator, for €350 million, the brand name changed to WIND on June 5,2007, in line with Italian telecom operator WIND Telecomunicazioni SpA. In December 2009, Nassos Zarkalis, previously head of Hellas On-Line, on October 18,2010 the principal shareholders in WIND Hellas took over the company and injected 420 million Euros to reduce debt and fund long-term development plans. The economic recession in Greece caused WIND Hellas severe financial difficulties, sawiris sold the assets of the holding company to a group of creditors, the SSN Ad Hoc Committee. The group of senior bondholders established a new holding company took full control of WIND Hellas in December 2010. In 2011 Vodafone opened talks with the owners of WIND Hellas regarding merging the two operations in Greece, to better challenge market leader Cosmote. In February 2012 Vodafone pulled out of the talks, WIND Hellas issue customers with telephone numbers that begin with either 693 or 690 followed by a seven digit subscriber number. As WIND also own Q-Telecom, they can issue 699 numbers, wind Mobile WIND Telecommunications in Greece STET – Società Finanziaria Telefonica WIND Hellas Website
4.
Thanasis Veggos
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Thanasis Veggos was a Greek actor and director born in Neo Faliro, Piraeus. He performed in around 130 films, predominantly comedies in the 1950s, 1960s and he is considered one of the best Greek comedy actors of all time. His famous comedic catchphrase was Καλέ µου άνθρωπε, Veggos was the only son of a power station employee who had fought with the Greek Resistance in World War II. On Makronisos he met film director Nikos Koundouros who was exiled there. Veggos first appearance in a film was in Windfall in Athens, produced by Mihalis Kakogiannis, Nikos Koundouros gave him a role in Magiki polis in 1955. His first major role was in Psila ta heria Hitler,1962. for his acting in What did you do in the war, Thanasi. The public of Thessaloniki °apotheosized° him and the movie won three awards at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and he often played everyman characters struggling to get by, but he has also played anti-heroes, he has acted in pure dramas, and on stage in the comedies of Aristophanes. His characters were often self-named Thanasis and he often worked with directors Panos Glykofridis and Giorgos Lazaridis. In 1995, Theo Angelopoulos cast Veggos and American actor Harvey Keitel in Ulysses Gaze, in 1997, in the role of Dikaiopoli he appeared in a live performance at the ancient Epidaurus theatre. In 2000, he survived a car accident involving a collision with a train and he later participated in advertisements promoting road safety. A documentary of his life, whose title translates as A Man for All Seasons, was made in 2004, in 2008, Veggos was appointed Commander of the Order of the Phoenix by the President of Greece, Karolos Papoulias. On 3 May 2011, he died at 7,10 a. m and he had been hospitalized at the Red Cross hospital, in Athens, since 18 December 2010. He is survived by his wife Asimina and two sons and he will always be remembered in the more than 120 films and more recent documentaries that he starred in. The phrase τρέχει σαν το Βέγγο has been adopted into common usage in the Greek language since nobody has run more or faster than Veggos in his many slapstick comedies, trelos Veggos, He is one crazy. Crazy Veggos O Papatrehas, The babbler Voitheia, mas valane boba, Attention. gr Thanasis Veggos at the Internet Movie Database
5.
Sto Para Pente
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In the nick of time was a popular Greek comedy-drama television series which was broadcast on Mega Channel for two seasons, from September 27,2005 until June 18,2007. The script was written by Giorgos Kapoutzidis, who had written the successful Greek TV series, Savvatogenimenes. The series was supposed to include only one season but its immense popularity resulted to a second season consisting of 23 more episodes. The first episode of Season 2 aired on October 2,2006, despite early, widespread calls for the creation of a third season, Kapoutzidis made it clear that the second would be the last season of the show. Sto Para Pente also met great success abroad within Greek diaspora communities, the plot revolved around five seemingly unrelated people who happened to be present at the death of a former minister in a malfunctioning elevator of a luxurious hotel in central Athens. The dying minister begged them with his words to find out who did this to him by researching a forgotten crime that took place decades before in Thessaloniki. The five characters soon discovered that the minister was actually poisoned, without a clue on what course of action to follow, they decide to team up, which leads them to a long series of incredible adventures. What they were unaware of at the beginning, however, was that they were dealing with some of the most powerful criminals in Greece. What is more, after a number of coincidences made them realize that nothing had happened as randomly as it seemed to in the beginning. The title Sto para pente is literally translated as At five to and is a Greek expression that means In the nick of time. The title is significant in that the protagonists are five, fighting a team of five villains, also it is later revealed that these five villains each possessed a position of the five forces. Political, law enforcement, court representation, the press and the mass, moreover, in the first season of the show, the episodes were aired on Thursday-the 5th day of the week. Due to some problems of the network the show changed its day from Thursday to Monday in the second season, in the last episode of the series it was revealed that another group of five people used to hang out in the past. One of the members of group was named Amalia and it was found that she was an angel from heaven who saved the protagonists of the story several times. Thirty years before the events of the series take place, a group murdered a young woman after raping her. The murderers managed to get away with it by manipulating events so that a scapegoat was imprisoned instead and they went on to eliminate anyone who tried to uncover the truth. One of these people include former Minister Evaggelos Stavrianidis, who is murdered after attending a reception at a luxurious hotel in central Athens. The goal was to murder Stavrianidis by a poison, the effects of which resemble those of a heart attack
6.
The X Factor (Greek TV series)
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The X Factor is the Greek version of The X Factor, a show originating in the United Kingdom. It is a music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions. Auditions are held in Greece in the cities of Athens and Thessaloniki, auditions for the third X Factor were also held in New York City. Applicants from the Greek diaspora are also accepted, the show was broadcast live in Greece and Cyprus, as well as abroad via ANT1s international stations, for the first three seasons. The fourth season was broadcast live in Greece and Cyprus via Skai TV, all four winners of the show Loukas Giorkas, Stavros Michalakakos, Harry Antoniou and Andreas Leontas. To date, four series have been broadcast, as summarised below, Contestant in Boys category Contestant in Girls category Contestant in Groups category Contestant in Over 25s category Key, – Winning judge/category. Winners are in bold, other contestants in small font, the first series of the Greek X Factor started airing in October 2008 on ANT1 and was hosted by singer Sakis Rouvas. The judges were Giorgos Levendis, songwriter Giorgos Theofanous, marketing executive of ANT1 TV, Katerina Gagaki, the winner of the 1st X-Factor was Loukas Giorkas, who released his debut EP album on September 2009. A second series of X Factor was broadcated by ANT1 TV, the live shows debuted on October 30. The host and the remain the same as in the first series. The winner of the 2nd X-Factor was Stavros Michalakakos. A third season of X Factor was broadcast from October 2010 to February 2011, the third series of X Factor was won by Greek-Cypriot Haris Antoniou. The program was broadcast by ANT1 TV and the host and the remained the same as the previous year. A fourth season of X Factor was broadcast from 4 April on Skai TV, the host Sakis Rouvas remained with Evaggelia Aravani in backstage. Giorgos Theofanous remained from the judges of the past seasons with Peggy Zina, Tamta, the winner of this series was Andreas Leontas from Cyprus. Greek Idol The Voice of Greece Official Website
7.
Sotiris Moustakas
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Sotiris Moustakas was a Greek Cypriot comedy actor. He was born in Limassol, Cyprus, one of the most significant comic actors of Greece and Cyprus, Moustakas graduated from the National Theater of Greece and was known for his portrayal of offbeat, neurotic yet likable characters. In many of his movies he portrayed multiple roles and he appeared primarily in modern films and plays, although he also performed several roles in classical works. Moustakas international film debut came in 1964 in the Oscar-winning Zorba the Greek starring Anthony Quinn, in which he played Mimithos, although his recent work was mainly in the theatre, he also had a role in the 2007 film El Greco. During that period, he was arrested by the British and spent 7 months in jail, Moustakas felt unwell during rehearsals for an upcoming Aristophanes play, and was transferred to the General State Hospital of Athens. He was taken to the intensive care unit, where he died in the morning hours of 4 June 2007. At his funeral, his coffin was draped with a Greek flag and he was married to the Greek actress Maria Bonellou, with whom he had a daughter. El Greco Haidemena paidia, Ta TV Series Ti vraki tha paradossis mori, petsi kai kokali Aparadektoi, Oi - Epitheorisi TV Episode Alepous, O. Alepous Kapetan Fortounas Mia treli treli nychta. Sokratis Leonardos Jogadoros, O Peinasmenos kai jenleman Diariktis me to zori, michalis Papadimitrakopoulos Andrea prohora Enas trelos tha mas sossei Varis glykos kai meraklis Erastis gia 11 nihtes Tolmi kai afassia Mhn to paizeis ypourge. Pantelis Kourio o Periklis Tsitsiolinos, O Dynasteias, O. Bebis Karinkopoulos/Dionisakis Tarzan Karinkopoulos/Odysseas Roz gatos, telis/Paraskevas Touvla, Ta Mitsos, o rezilis. Glykopseftis, O An itan to violi pouli, lefteris Paganikakis Kai aftos to violi tou Psonio, To Paizo kai poly andras, To Pater Gomenios Kamikazi tsantakias, O. Poseidonas Ego. kai to pouli mou. Knock out ston erota Nona, I, Nona enantion mafiozou Megalo routhouni, To. Alexandros/Thiseas Doxapatris Kathenas me tin trella tou, sotiris Parthenokynigos, O Gefsi apo Ellada. Paminos Gia mia choufta Touristries Andres xeroun n agapoun, Oi. a. k. a. a. k. a, Tha pao stin zougla me ton Tarzan Athina, i klopi tis odou Stadiou. Nude as a Trap Petheropliktos, O Psihoula tou kosmou, Ta Tsahpinis, O Boufos, O Tha ta kapso, kleon Karapanos Mnistires tis Pinelopis, Oi. Henry Gia tin kardia tis oraias Elenis, xemoramena geramata Kori tis Pentagiotissas, I Erotes sti Lesvo. Thanatos ehase to paihnidi, O Adiki katara Modistros, O Kosmos trellathike, pavlos Aspromallis Hazobabas, O Une balle au coeur. Tilefono, Oikopeda me doseis Na zi kaneis i na mi zi. Solomon Fifis, o aktypitos Beethoven kai bouzouki Prosopo tis imeras, To Alexis Zorbas
8.
Vera sto Dexi
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Vera sto Dexi is a Greek television soap opera. Created by Helena Akrita and Yiorgos Kiritsis, Vera sto Dexi combines elements of drama, mystery, adventure and occasionally comedy. The series stars Katia Dandoulaki, Kostas Kazakos, Marianna Toumassatou, Elissavet Moutafi, Alexandros Stavrou, Iro Loupi and Danis Katranidis, among others, Vera sto Dexi was created by journalist Helena Akrita and writer Yiorgos Kiritsis as a lead-in to the 8 p. m. Mega Channels newscast and as a series that would revolutionize the concept of a daily show as a regular dramatic series instead of a soap opera. The pilot episode aired in Greece, Cyprus, Europe, Africa and Asia at the time, through NOVA Greece, Mega Channel and Mega Cyprus. In early 2007, Mega Channel announced that the third season, the third seasons finale aired on July 1,2007. A total of 625 episodes were broadcast and one behind-the-scenes/bloopers featurette, a major concept of the series is the influence the past has on the present and the future. Vera sto Dexi refers to the consequences of a murder in which three women had been involved, twenty years before the time setting of the series storyline. The title refers to the exploration of relationships and the use of the wedding band as a symbol of commitment to another person or cause. Many of the shows most important events take place during a wedding or relate to the influence of such an event, as a child, Stratos witnessed the three younger women murder his older brother and legal guardian in self-defence and was sent to an orphanage. Having closely followed the lives, Stratos also targeted Kleri. Stratos pursued Reggina romantically under an alias, and went on to ruin her life on many levels, culminating on the public, meanwhile, Elsa was cleared of all charges and moved in with the severely depressed Reggina. Eventually, Kleri, Reggina and Elsa decided to reveal the truth about Stratos to Dora, when Dora found out the truth, she suffered a nervous breakdown and violently repelled Stratos. The latter, feeling he had deprived of his chance to rebuild his life, attacked Reggina. Reggina shot him, in an echo of her encounter with his late brother, Stratos survived the injury and, in an act of remorse, cleared Reggina of all charges. After Stratoss recovery, a mysterious benefactor contacted Reggina with information on the murder, Stratos was thus forced to collaborate with Reggina in order to uncover the mystery. The evidence led to the war between Amiras, Stratoss employer and stepfather and Aggelos Antipas, Stratoss presumably deceased brother, Stratos discovered the truth about himself, he was Amirass son and was not related to Aggelos by blood. Feeling lost and betrayed, Stratos confronted Amiras, his father and was forced to confess his developing attraction to Reggina
9.
Marios Tokas
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Marios Tokas Cypriot composer of traditional music born in Limassol, Cyprus. In the 1974 invasion, he fought as a soldier against the Turkish invaders, in 1975, he went to Athens in order to study in the philosophical school. At the same time, he studied in the Ethniko Odio because he wanted to start a career as a musician, in 2004, Tokas and his six-member orchestra gave a concert in Vienna. On 27 April 2008, Tokas died of cancer in Athens, Cypriot president Dimitris Christofias had visited him in the hospital towards the end of his life. He was buried in First Cemetery of Athens and he is regarded by some as the most prominent composer in Cyprus and Greece. M. Tokas may be remembered for his passion for Cyprus, www. mariostokas. gr Official website Official Facebook Page Vienna Performance Marios Tokas at the Internet Movie Database
10.
Stamatis Kraounakis
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Stamatis Kraounakis is a Greek music composer, music producer, lyricist, writer and director. He was born and lives in Athens and has studied Political Science in Panteion University and he has composed music for more than 40 albums and 50 theatre plays. Stamatis Kraounakis studied music with Mrs Klelia Terzakis and made his first appearance in 1978, one year earlier he had made his debut in theatre, with the music for the performance Varieme. In 1981 he made his first big collaboration, with the music for the album Skouriasmena Hilia performed by Vicky Mosholiou, in Panteion University Stamatis Kraounakis met the poet Lina Nikolakopoulou, with whom he produced more than 80% of his work. Since 1990 he has dealt with Greek theatrical plays that could be developed, releasing musical monologues, new techniques. In addition, he introduced a new way of presenting musical shows, using the songs as music theatrical dialogue, in 1998, Stamatis Kraounakiss seminars for song interpretation led his young students to the creation of the artistic group Speira Speira. Under his direction, Speira Speira successfully performed the All In Black, in 2002 his music for the movie of Nikos Panagiotopoulos Kourastika Na Skotono Tous Agapitikous Sou took the Arion Award for Best Soundtrack. During 2004 Stamatis Kraounakis composed the music for Nikos Panagiotopoulos movie Delivery, in May 2004 he was invited by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London to compose music for the project Installation 496. Recently, he has written the song for one of the most popular TV series in Greece, Maria, i Aschimi. In 2010 he voiced Louis the alligator in the Greek language version of The Princess and the Frog
11.
Michalis Hatzigiannis
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Michalis Hatzigiannis is a popular Greek Cypriot recording artist. From 2000 to 2009, Hatzigiannis has received over 30 certifications in Greece alone, Hatzigiannis is also known for representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998. In 2010, Hatzigiannis released his first English language album in Europe, in 2010, Forbes listed Hatzigiannis as the 22nd most powerful and influential celebrity in Greece and fifth highest ranked singer. Hatzigiannis was born in Nicosia, Cyprus on 5 November 1978 and he is a graduate of the Cyprus Music Academy with a degree in piano, guitar and music theory. When he was 18, he participated in a song contest in Cyprus and he later participated in the Laiki Bank Song Contest with the song I Diki Mou Istoria written by Andreas Gerolemou and won the first prize. In 1995, he participated in the Cypriot National Final for the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with two songs, Filise Me and To Gramma, the first song came in 3rd place and the latter in second place. That year Alex Panagi won the preselection with the song Sti Fotia, michalis started his career in Cyprus with three records that all went platinum, Senario, O Mihalis Hatzigiannis Tragouda Doro Georgiadi and Epafi. In May 1998, he represented Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest and he performed the song Γένεσις, a composition of his own and finished 11th. The album contained songs to the ANT1 TV series bearing the title, including the hit singles Aggigma Psychis. In March 2000, Hatzigiannis released his album in Greece Paraxeni Giorti. Many renowned composers and lyricists collaborated for this album and produced some of the biggest hits of that year, the song Mono Sta Onira stayed at the top of the Greek radio charts for several weeks. Two other songs from the album, title track Paraxeni Giorti, the album became double-platinum and was a career landmark for the young singer-songwriter in the Greek music scene. In November, he started to live shows in Athens. Early in 2001 he released the CD single Den Eho Hrono and it soon topped the charts and went platinum. In the summer, he toured Greece for the first time, later that year he appeared live with Greek singer Haris Alexiou to great reviews. In the spring of 2002 he released his solo album Krifo Fili. In the summer of 2002 he toured Greece again with greater success. And in winter he shared the stage with another Greek music icon
