Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koc, famous for sleeping at official events, has brought his on-the-job fatigue to an international level. Attending the Turkish-Greek Tourism Forum on Greece's Samos Island, Koc and his wife, Shadiye Koc, both fell asleep at a dance performance following a dinner in their honor. After the post dinner speech by Greek Tourism Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, Koc tried to stay awake by reading a Greek tourism book propped in front of him, but was unsuccessful.

When the dancing began, even the Greek troupe's most colorful dance, the famous "Sirtaki," was unable to awake the Koc pair. On seeing that his guests had fallen asleep, Avramopolous signalled to authorities that the evening, which was scheduled to wind down around midnight, should be ended 45 minutes earlier.