Next up is India, where we are planning a major business mission in late November. The opening of the Greek business world to India’s vast and promising market poses many challenges. However, its success will have multiple benefits.Earlier, on October 13 and 14, we will welcome important companies-representatives of the Japan Business Federation “KEIDANREN” here in Athens, for discussions on joint economic ventures. Without a doubt, the winter will be difficult, and the challenges will be many. The government is on the alert to address them, and Economic Diplomacy team is well-prepared to contribute to the collective national effort.While Greece is facing the same global challenges in these gloomy circumstances, the Greek economy continues to be dynamic and records positive indices. Growth recorded in the second quarter of the year (7.7%) came as a pleasant surprise even for the Greek government, as our Prime Minister recently stated.The long list of our extroversion agenda will naturally continue in 2023.In early December, we will visit Paris accompanied by a business delegation, with the objective of strengthening the Greek business presence in the French market. This will be followed by working visits to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan to reactivate the currently idle Joint Economic Committees.We have launched a series of economic diplomacy actions for the coming months, continuing unabated on the path of reinforcing the economy’s extroversion and strengthening Greece’s international position.In early November we will be visiting San Francisco, together with Deputy Minister for Research and Technology, Christos Dimas, with the aim of consolidating Greece’s institutional presence in the Mecca of technology and innovation. We aspire to place Greece among the pioneers in research, innovation, and technology by making the best use of the valuable network of Greek and expatriate academics and entrepreneurs.Extroversion is definitively a driving force behind this growth. As the government’ s key policy choice and primary goal since its election, extroversion is now driving the shift in Greece’s production model towards an export-oriented, open and investment-friendly economy. An economy that generates wealth, adding funds to the state coffers, thus allowing the government to take necessary extraordinary support measures.We expect that these well-planned and targeted actions will contribute to confirming the estimates for annual growth of over 5%, and will further enhance exports and foreign investment.“A note of optimism ahead of a difficult winter”
The upcoming winter is expected to be difficult, and the dominant feeling is one of concern and uncertainty. Governments worldwide are working hard in order to address sharp increases in costs and even possible shortages of vital resources.An equally important result of extroversion is the constant reinforcement of the country’s international presence. The series of cooperation agreements we have signed in recent years (with traditional allies and new strategic partners in Asia, Africa and the Middle East), have enhanced Greece’s significance on the global stage. Greece’s role as a regional pillar of stability and security, a reliable partner, and an entry point to the European market is now unquestionable.
