"In all his diplomatic and political activities, Wolfgang Petritsch never forgot the cultural side of human life. His humanistic orientation and his cultural interests were not a victim of his political life. He has always found time and engagement for this dimension which characterises human life. He is a zoon politikon in its true sense. Perhaps it is primarily nostalgia, but I miss very much those politicians who are neither technocrats nor populists. We need 'political animals' who combine knowledge of history and society, sensibility and the clear will to change political structures and attitudes. We need them in Europe in general and in particular in the Balkans."