Never before have the country's political, economic and social prospects been viewed, both at home and abroad, with such confidence. After a century of tumult and turmoil following two Balkan wars, civil conflict, brutal Nazi occupation and a seven-year military dictatorship, the scars have finally healed. Greece wants peace even if that means compromising with Turkey, its hated former Ottoman overlord. They are tantamount to an international vote of confidence in Greece. After years of economic austerity the Greeks are seeing their sacrifices pay off.
Analysts say the new confidence is unlikely to wane no matter who is in power.
In a dramatic departure from their divisive policies of the past, both the left and right have decided to irreversibly hook the nation's star to the European Union. The decades ahead will not be dominated by debate over the Orient and the Occident, and whether the Greeks' hearts lies in one and their minds in the other. After years of battling an identity crisis borne of Greece's unique position at the eastwest crossroads, Athens has made up its mind to enter the new era as a European country in the Balkans and not as a tiny Balkan country in Europe. By drawing on its Byzantine heritage and the Orthodox religion it shares with many of its neighbours, Greece hopes to become an economic bridge to the east. Improved relations with Turkey, Greece's longstanding rival to the east, will also hog the headlines as both countries move ahead with deals that are likely to see the two neighbours becoming increasingly interdependent, not least in the areas of tourism and culture.