It is a great honor and pleasure to be here at today’s event, which brings together representatives from two peoples who enjoy historically close relations. Greece and the United Arab Emirates share many common values and goals, as well as a longstanding trade tradition that lends particular significance and symbolism to this conference.
I would just like to stress, regarding His Highness’s last observation, that Greece is a constant supporter of the negotiations for a free trade zone in the Gulf and other issues that are of mutual interest.
Despite the problems that have been created by the international economic crisis, Greece, as a member of the European Union, continues to be an economic and investment environment that ensures institutional stability, with significant room for many notable investment opportunities.
For us, the current financial state of affairs must be an opportunity for fast-paced rectification of the mistakes of the past, support for new horizons for the internationalization of Greek enterprises and attraction of foreign direct investment, mainly from countries in our wider region.
Today’s event is the first of a series of similar events being organized by Invest In Greece – in coordination with the office of Deputy Prime Minister Theodoros Pangalos and with the support of the Foreign Ministry – with Gulf countries, and its purpose is twofold: First, it is aimed at informing the approximately 50 representatives of Emirate enterprises and agencies participating in today’s conference about the institutional framework for investment that has been shaped recently in Greece. And second, it facilitates direct contact between the representatives of Emirate enterprises and agencies with their Greek counterparts, so that they can strengthen and expand the range of business and economic cooperation between the two sides.
Dynamic sectors like tourism, infrastructure projects, renewable energy sources, green development, exploitation of mineral wealth, new technologies, food and agricultural development, as well as utilization of public assets, are part of the country’s new institutional framework for investments. So, major opportunities are being created for the taking of investment initiatives by foreign enterprises interested in investing in Greece.
In broader terms, the Emirate enterprises and agencies participating in today’s conference, representing a large range of activities, provide significant guarantees for our achieving the two aforementioned goals. The sectors represented – modern and dynamic sectors like energy and construction, air transport, construction materials, chemical industry, telecommunications, real estate purchasing and development, logistics and port management services, food and agricultural supplies, the finance sector, the high-tech sector – offer multiple opportunities for strengthening bilateral business cooperation.
For these reasons – regarding which interest has already been expressed by the UAE side – there will be closed, targeted discussions in a format of five roundtables, where potential will be identified for further promotion and strengthening of the existing dynamic in business cooperation between the two sides.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The investment and business synergies that have already been developed between Greek and UAE enterprises and agencies are a strong foundation and are cause for optimism that this conference, too, will have positive results for the further enhancement of bilateral business cooperation.
There is a steady upward trend in our trade transactions. The investment interest of our Emirate friends is a given and has manifested itself in Greece in the form of strategic alliances.
On the Greek side, we see intensive investment activity in the UAE. Over 140 enterprises with Greek interests are already active in the UAE, mainly in the sectors of telecommunications, construction, fur, shipping, general trade and software production.
For 2012, the competent Greek services and agencies have planned a comprehensive programme of investment actions and initiatives, including participation in 10 international sectoral exhibitions (construction materials, food, energy, jewellery), targeted business missions, a Greek cuisine festival and other activities.
I am convinced that UAE businesspersons will discover in Greece not only major business and economic potential, but also a hospitable and dynamic environment based on our human resources and our pivotal geographical position.
Our relations – with this government as well as previous governments – remain firm. Our relations with Arab countries, and in particular the UAE, are so strong and firm that they will no doubt produce very positive results soon for Greece and the UAE.
I wish you every success. I look forward to similar meetings in the near future and to the intensification of our cooperation. You can be sure that the Foreign Ministry will actively support every serious business effort. Such efforts, after all, are a catalyst for strengthening the relations between our two countries.
Thank you.
January 11, 2012