Greece has become a very strong player at the international level in recent years, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis underlined on Friday, during a discussion titled “A new geopolitical order: South-East Europe and the Mediterranean at the crossroads of global changes,” within the framework of the 6th “Thessaloniki Metropolitan Summit” of Economist Enterprise, alongside Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana-Silvia Țoiu.

As he emphasized, the difficult economic period the country went through truly served as a milestone for Greece. “This unfortunate period essentially gave us the strength to operate differently,” he pointed out, adding: “First of all, we became more resilient to populism. Populism rises very quickly in Europe and the West; however, here in Greece we are very resilient to it. Second, we hold great appreciation for the issue of political stability. It constitutes a main factor and a prerequisite for having a greater footprint in the international environment.”

With these two prerequisites, he noted, Greece became a very strong player. “We managed to develop our alliances with strong local players, such as Egypt and Israel, and we have a very strong voice in international organizations,” Gerapetritis pointed out.

On her part, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu underscored the need for more investments in infrastructure and geopolitical connectivity projects, that yield results in promoting energy.
“Right now, tectonic shifts are taking place with the prolonged period of war in Ukraine, which has brought many changes in the energy sector. However, I believe there is an opportunity for our region to reconnect the world through energy via the vertical corridors.”

“Greece of course constitutes a very major maritime power. For its part, Romania continues to invest in networks. We want to focus on connectivity, to connect the Balkans with Eastern Europe and Greece of course.”

ANA-MPA is Communication Supporter of the 6th Thessaloniki Metropolitan Summit – Leading up to 2030: connectivity and growth for South-East Europe
Photos from the summit:
https://www.amna.gr/pr-photo