In implementation of the goal of pursuing a more externalized Greek economy, the Foreign Ministry’s Secretary General for International Economic Relations & Development Cooperation, Mr. Konstantinos Papadopoulos, visited Istanbul on 1 and 2 February, leading a delegation of businesspersons participating in an international conference for the presentation of the Iraqi Electricity Ministry’s Master Plan for 2010-2030. The delegation included mainly representatives from the construction sector, as well as from electrical equipment manufacturers and consultancy firms.
On the margins of the Conference, Mr. Papadopoulos had a bilateral working meeting with the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy, Dr. Hussein al Shahristani. During their discussion, they observed the joint will for promoting bilateral economic and trade relations and they explored the prospects for deepening these relations, with emphasis on the sectors of energy (including renewable energy sources), shipping, tourism and construction. Greek businesses then had an opportunity for brief private presentations of their business profiles to Dr. Shahristani and his associates, pointing out the potential for and attractiveness of their assistance in the infrastructure reconstruction efforts Iraq is making on its own and via international synergies.
Bearing in mind that Iraq could be a particularly worthwhile economic partner, due to the extensiveness and broad time horizon for the economic reconstruction programme currently under way, the meeting with Dr. Shahristani can be seen as assisting towards optimizing capitalization on the upcoming Greek-Iraqi Joint Interministerial Committee, which will be co-chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Kouvelis and will look at a wide range of sectors for bilateral economic cooperation.
Finally, Mr. Papadopoulos took the opportunity of his visit to Istanbul to deliver a speech at Kadir Has University on “The crisis in the Eurozone – the case of Greece” (Tuesday, 1 February 2011), as well as to meet with representatives of Greek enterprises active in Turkey and exchange views on issues of common interest.
February 4, 2011