Panayotis D. Cangelaris



Panayotis D. Cangelaris (in Greek: Παναγιώτης Δ. Καγκελάρης) is a Greek statesman, author-publisher and former bank employee, lawyer and diplomat. He is also a philatelist and art collector of contemporary Greek painting.

Biography and Education
Panayotis Cangelaris was born in Alexandria Egypt on March 14, 1951. Of Byzantine roots, the origin of the Cangelari family is from the island of Cephalonia. His parents were the businessman Démètre P. Canghelaris (1922–1996) and the school teacher Angélique J. Kyriacou (1925–1987). Since 1989 he is married to philologist and educator Diana Macris and a father of two, the architect son Dimitri Cangelaris (1990) and the economist-entrepreneur daughter Marina Cangelaris (1991). He went to the Aristofronios (Gianaclis Alexandria Egypt, 1957–1961) and the Aedonopoulou (Filothei Athens Greece, 1961–1963) Elementary Schools, the XV Athens High School for Boys (Kypseli, 1963–1964) and the Marist Brothers Franco-Hellenic High School for Boys Lycée Léonin (Nea Smyrni, 1964–1969). As a pupil he participated at the "Sandcastle Contest" and won the first place in Greece and the sixth at the international final in La Baule France (1966). He is a graduate of law (1976) and public law and political sciences (1977) from the University of Athens and has a PhD in history by the Ionian University (2011). Along with his studies, he began his professional career as an employee of the National Bank of Greece (1970–1973), trainee lawyer and lawyer in Athens (1976–1977). He has authored and published nine books and a series of almost forty studies on his areas of scientific and cultural interests (historical, genealogical and heraldic research, philately, scouting, freemasonry and contemporary Greek painting).

Diplomatic career
He entered the diplomatic service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic in 1977. He served as Embassy Attaché in the Political Affairs Directorate for the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Oceania (1977–1979). Third Secretary at the Directorate for Administrative and Judicial Affairs (1979–1981). Second and then First Secretary and Consul at the Embassy of Greece in Berlin (German Democratic Republic, 1981–1985). First Secretary and then Counsellor to the Greek Permanent Mission to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva (1985–1989). Head of the Eastern Countries Department of the Political Affairs Directorate for the Socialist Countries (1989–1991). Consul General of Greece in Alexandria, Egypt (1991–1993). Head of Department for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, Directorate for International Organisations and Conferences (1993–1995). First Counsellor and then Minister Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Greece in Islamabad, Pakistan (1995–2000), from where he participated in UN and EU missions in Afghanistan (Emirate of the Taliban). Consul General of Greece in Hanover, Germany (2000). Deputy Director of the Directorate for Clearance and Diplomatic Mail (2001). He represented Greece in more than two hundred international sessions and conferences at European Community and European Union level (COEST, COHOM, CONUC, COASI), United Nations level (UNCHR and SCPDPM, ECOSOC, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNHCR) and other International Organizations (WHO, WMO, WIPO, ILO, ITC, GATT, ICM/IOM, ICRC, IRC, CCW, BTWC, CERN) and participated in the drafting of international conventions on humanitarian, migrant, refugee, minority, economic, developmental, social, labor, human rights, disarmament, intellectual property, hazardous waste, children's rights, international trade, health, inhuman and biological weapons, protection of cultural heritage, etc. and participated in a series of relevant seminars. Member of the International Cavafy Committee (1991–1993), as representative of the Greek State he signed the first lease of the poet's apartment for the relocation of the Cavafy Museum there. He was also representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Central Board of Directors of the Hellenic Red Cross (1994–1995).

Political Activity
A member of DiEM25 (2017–2023), he was member of its Validating Council (2019-2020 and 2021–2022). Founding member of MeRA25 (2018), he was a member of its Political Committee (2018–2020), of the Sectors of Foreign Affairs-Defence and Culture (2019–2023), of the Group of Volunteer Subtitler Translators (apart from Greek, he speaks English, French and German) and an elected member of its first Central Committee (2020–2022). He was elected delegate to the 1st MeRA25 Consultative Conference (2021–2022). He was a candidate for the European Parliament and a candidate for the Greek Parliament in the B1 Northern Sector of Athens with MeRA25 (2019). He was summarily expelled from MeRA25 for publicly expressing the opinion that the former King of the Hellenes should have been buried with a head of state honors (2023).

Hobbies and Volunteering
He has been honored with a series of medals and awards in national, international and world philatelic exhibitions (since 1966). He organized the first in Greece and one of the first in the world "Scouts on Stamps Exhibition" (1970). He was a representative of the Hellenic Philatelic Federation (E.F.O.) in the Youth Committee of the International Philatelic Federation (F.I.P.) during the period 1974–1981. He was elected vice-president of the Panhellenic Association for Thematic Philately and Youth (2005–2017), as well as curator (2005–2007), special secretary (2007–2013) and general secretary (2013–2017) of the Hellenic Philatelic Federation (E.F.O.). He was also publisher-director of the official bulletin of E.F.O. "Philatelic Chronicles" (2005–2007). He compiled a representative collection of contemporary Greek paintings as well, which he has shown in Greece and abroad and let be displayed virtually on the internet through his website. He has also been involved in general aviation (as a PPL[A] private pilot) and scouting, which he has volunteered for several years as scout leader (1969–1981) and leader trainer (1974–1981). He attained the "Wood Badge" for Scout Leaders (1972), Group Leaders and Commissioners (1974), Cub Scout Leaders (1977) and Venture Scout Leaders (1977). He also attended successfully the Assistant Scout Leader Trainers Course (1974) and the National Scout Leader Trainers Course (1975) in Athens, Greece, as well as the International Training the Team Course at the World Scout Training Centre in Gilwell Park, London UK (1976). He has been awarded the Scout Association of Greece Flyer's Badge, the Golden Scout Flying Wings (2003). He is an emeritus (since 1994) and honorary (since 1999) member of the General Assembly of the Scout Association of Greece Foundation. He is also a Fellow of the Baden-Powell World Fellowship (since 1986) and a member of the Benefactors' Circle of the World Scout Foundation (since 2000). He had published in Greek language the gazette "Scout Annals" (1966–1967) and the booklets "The 2nd Scout Group of Psychico Yearbook" of the years 1970-1973 (1971–1974) and "The 1980 Album of the Lycabettus District Commission" (1980). For his voluntary social contribution he has been honored with a number of moral awards and honorary distinctions.



Awarded Decorations

 * St. Mark's Cross, First Class, Patriarchate of Alexandria (1985)
 * Commander of Sabba the Sanctified, Patriarchate of Alexandria (2021)
 * Commander of Honour of Sabba the Sanctified, Patriarchate of Alexandria (2021)
 * St. Daniel's Medal, Moscow Patriarchate (1991)
 * Distinguished Services Medal, Hellenic Red Cross (1985)
 * Blood Donors Volunteer Corps Silver Medal, Hellenic Red Cross (2002)
 * B.D.V.C. Golden Jubilee Silver Medal, Hellenic Red Cross (2004)
 * Distinguished Services Medal, Scout Association of Greece (1994)
 * Long Service Medal, Scout Association of Greece (1980)

Published Books
(In Greek language)


 * "ATHANASIOS LEFKADITIS 1872-1944, FOUNDER OF THE GREEK SCOUT MOVEMENT", Athens 1972 (paperback)
 * "ATHANASIOS LEFKADITIS 1872-1944, FOUNDER OF THE GREEK SCOUT MOVEMENT", Athens 2nd revised edition 1994 ISBN 960-85532-0-2 (paperback)
 * "DICTIONARY OF GREEK PHILATELISTS", Athens 1982 (paperback)
 * "REFLECTIONS UPON GREEK CONTEMPORARY PAINTING - THE CANGELARIS COLLECTION", Athens vol.1 1991 ISBN 960-220-134-7 (paperback and hardcover)
 * "REFLECTIONS UPON GREEK CONTEMPORARY PAINTING - THE CANGELARIS COLLECTION", Athens vol.2 1999 ISBN 960-85532-1-0 (paperback and hardcover)
 * "REFLECTIONS UPON GREEK CONTEMPORARY PAINTING - THE CANGELARIS COLLECTION", Athens vol.3 2015 ISBN 978-960-85532-4-8 (paperback) και 978-960-85532-5-5 (hardcover)
 * "HISTORY AND GENEALOGY OF THE CANGELARI FAMILY OF CEPHALONIA (16th-20th Centuries)", Corfu 2011 ISBN 978-960-85532-2-4 (hardcover)
 * "DIMITRIS LITSAS (1881-1952) - A GREAT UNKNOWN GREEK PAINTER IN EGYPT", Athens 2013 ISBN 978-960-85532-3-1 (hardcover)
 * "SPYRIDON C. THEODOROPOULOS (1891-1983) ONE OF THE INVISIBLE HEROES OF THE WAR DECADE 1912-1922 AND HIS CAMPAIGN DIARY", Athens 2020 ISBN 978-960-85532-6-2 (paperback)



Published Articles
(In Greek language)

Around 40 articles for free reading and/or downloading at his official, the academia and the Greek National Archive of PhD Theses websites (links below).