Outgoing Deputy Foreign Minister Tassos Hadjivassiliou handed over his duties to the new Deputy Minister, Ηaris Theocharis. The handover ceremony took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the statements of the two men underlining the continuity and strategic importance of economic diplomacy and extroversion for the country.

Statement by Mr. Haris Theocharis: “Taking up my duties as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs is for me a supreme honour and at the same time a great responsibility. I warmly thank the Prime Minister for his trust, and I pledge to serve the national interests with dedication.

We continue with consistency and plan, strengthening Greece’s international presence, building bridges of cooperation and fully utilizing the opportunities of foreign policy for the benefit of the country and its citizens.

I am taking over the critical area of Economic Diplomacy and External Relations, an area in which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and my predecessor, Tasos Hadjivassiliou, have done substantial and measurable work. Our priority is to attract investment, support the export potential of the Greek economy and promote the country as a reliable and innovative partner on the international stage.

With respect to the legacy of my predecessors and faith in the principles of modern diplomacy, we are moving forward with firm and decisive steps towards the future.

At the side of Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, with whom I share a sincere appreciation and a spirit of close cooperation, we will continue the substantial work that is already being carried out, with the aim of further strengthening Greece’s international position and promoting our national goals with consistency, credibility and vision.”

Statement by Mr. Tasos Hadjivassiliou: “I handed over the duties of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for Economic Diplomacy and Extroversion, to my colleague, Harris Theocharis, with a sense of responsibility and emotion.

During the last 6 months, we have worked hard and methodically to strengthen Greece’s international economic presence and to create new bridges of cooperation between Greek businesses and the global market.

I had the honor of representing the country in many missions abroad, highlighting Greek investment opportunities and building alliances with strategic partners.

We organized, jointly with several countries, high-level business forums, strengthening economic diplomacy in practice. We supported exports and entrepreneurship and designed important reforms in Enterprise Greece and Export Credit Greece.

With the bill on the Foreign Direct Investment Control Mechanism, we introduced for the first time institutional guarantees of transparency, security and speedy processing for international investors, enhancing the country’s image. At the same time, we are facilitating Greek exports and foreign investment by creating the myOEY.live.gov.gr platform, which enables entrepreneurs and investors to schedule digital appointments with the Foreign Ministry’s Foreign Affairs Offices without having to be physically present.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for his confidence in us, as well as to Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis for his support in all our initiatives. Finally, I owe special thanks to my fellow Deputy Ministers Alexandra Papadopoulou, Yannis Loverdos and George Kotsiras, as well as to the Secretary General Dimitris Skalkos. Above all, I would like to thank the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who are distinguished for their competence and professionalism.

I wish my friend and colleague Haris Theocharis every success. I am sure that he will continue our work dynamically for the benefit of the homeland.”