Greece has become a stable country full of major investment opportunities, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Tuesday in a discussion of AXIA Ventures Group in Athens.
The Axia Roundtable discussion included representatives of over 70 international investors.
Speaking with Axia Founding Partner and Group Managing Director George Linatsas, the Greek premier noted, "It's crystal clear that Greece has turned the page and that Greece in 2022, heading for 2023, cannot be compared to Greece under the crisis. And this was important for us - to change the way the country is viewed." Greece is stable and offers significant investment opportunities, he added, at a time when other European countries are facing significant challenges because "we were adept at utilizing our systemic comparative advantages."
Mitsotakis referred to national elections in 2023 and a second term necesary for "a very ambitious reforms program," adding that "if a government remains in power for two terms, it is then very difficult to overturn the progress achieved."
Calling the management of the energy crisis "a great challenge" this winter, he nevertheless said that "we still have some tools we have not fully utilized. There are a lot of funds that will come to Greece in particular from the Relief and Recovery Fund, that will help moderate the hit so we may avoid recession in 2023." Mitsotakis expressed his optimism for the Greek economy, which he said would exceed the Eurozone rates in 2023, while he also cautioned that "we must ensure we innovate in public policy initiatives, in order to guarantee funding to support vulnerable businesses and households."
The Greek premier also referred to natural gas exploration SW of Crete and SW of the Peloponnese, Greece's strong alliances with the EU, France and the United States, and the country's digital transformation. The target, he said, was to turn technology into 10% of Greece's GDP, something that would follow the impressive digital revolution in Greece.