Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear YPO members,
Welcome to Athens!
I am particularly pleased to be here with you today.
The Young Presidents’ Organization, boasting a select pool of young and dynamic leaders, is a lively forum for innovation and creative thinking. Promoting time-tested ideals, collective effort and educational excellence, the Organization’s peer network undeniably adds great value.
It is only fitting that your visit to Greece be named after Homer’s famed work. “The Odyssey” is an ode to resolve, courage and dedication to our tried and true values. It has come to represent man’s struggle to overcome obstacles and achieve his goals.
In the same way, the “Road to Ithaca” lauds the human quest for success; a metaphor that affects us all, as it is intimately linked with our need – individually and socially – as active members, to form flourishing political societies.
Today, I will endeavor to take you down our road to Ithaca, highlighting those political and economic achievements that have made this a road well worth taking for both Greece and Southeastern Europe as a whole.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Greece’s democracy is inspired by the political legacy of our ancestors.
Today, we continue to revere the same democratic ideals of respect, tolerance and participation. Our political system places public discourse to the forefront of political life and inspired a noteworthy (if at times too loud) civic culture.
In our constant quest for improvement, we Greeks have traveled the world. I dare say that it is thanks to our impulsive nature, inquisitiveness, and political insight that we can speak of so many success stories locally and internationally today.
And we are in need of such success stories. Now more than ever. We are living in a world where challenges abound. And we must be ready to respond to these challenges. In the economic sector, and at difficult times such as these, we have taken concrete steps towards revitalizing the Greek economy
and liberating the market from its chains.We have drastically dropped our deficits, while we have increased our economic growth rate to 4%, well over the Eurozone average.
At the same time, unemployment has fallen to 7,4% from 10.5%. Public and private enterprise have come together forming competitive business entities. We have encouraged entrepreneurial mobilization by modernizing the legal framework and encouraging Greek investment abroad. We’ve created an extensive business and banking network in the service of foreign investors.
A prerequisite for growth, our extroversion has furthered the reach of our economic potential. As a result, in the last 15 years, Greece has become the locomotive force for economic growth in South Eastern Europe. More than 3,500 enterprises are active in the region with an invested capital exceeding 20 billion dollars.
Greece is the primary foreign investor in Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia. The second foreign investor in Romania, and third in Bulgaria. In the banking sector alone, nearly 2,000 branches of Greek banks operate across South Eastern Europe, while hundreds of new jobs have been created, boosting the region’s economies.
Today, Greece is a significant energy hub at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The final agreement on the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis and the South Stream pipe-lines, carrying gas and oil respectively from Russia to Europe, along with the progress achieved in the Turkey-Greece-Italy (ITGI) energy corridor are important steps forward.
They guarantee safe and secure energy supply for both Greece and Europe and form part of an overall strategic plan that envisions the diversification of both the energy routes and energy suppliers.
The benefits of this economic “openness” are evident. We are among a long list of international donor countries and always eager to extend a helping and to those in need.
I was extremely proud, I must admit, when in response to the recent tragic floods in Myanmar the second plane to land ahead of far bigger countries- was that belonging to the Greek air force carrying tones of emergency supplies. And more followed. Our economic assistance is of course focused on to the countries of our neighborhood. With a total budget of 550 million euros through to 2011, the Hellenic Plan for the Economic Reconstruction allocates funds to large-scale infrastructure projects and private initiatives in South Eastern Europe.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Again and again it is proven that the prospect of membership in the European Union and NATO is a catalyst for change.
For most, if not all, the Euro-Atlantic perspective has acted as a great stimulant for reforms. It has encouraged and supported governments in the long and difficult road towards a free-market economy and strong democratic institutions that value diversity, respect minorities, encourage differences of opinion and accept criticism of government policies.
Greece, as a member of both organizations, has a strong sense of responsibility for our neighborhood: an obligation to be constructive, supportive and practical.
Along with our European partners we are working towards fostering economic development, securing the rule of law, establishing effective and just institutions. And we’ve come a long way. I am happy to say that our efforts have borne fruit.
Romania and Bulgaria, which joined NATO in 2004, and the European Union in 2007 are clear success stories.
Croatia recently joined the Euro-Atlantic family and is expected to become an EU member very soon.
Albania’s efforts have paid off: they recently endorsed the Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU and are now NATO members.
Of course, a quick look at the region still reveals a “work in progress”.
Let me begin with Kosovo. Today Kosovo faces a series of complexities and qualms. It is one of Europe’s poorest regions. More than half of its inhabitants live in deprivation. Over 50% of its population is under 30 years of age while unemployment is one of Europe’s highest. Moreover, it is a landlocked area with few competitive advantages, and a long history of economic mismanagement. Add to this, the tension between the region’s ethnic Albanians and the remaining Serbs, making Kosovo – in the very least – volatile.
Many view the situation in black or white. Independence for the sake of independence or recognition for the sake of recognition are not enough, however. There are no magic wands which, once waved, will produce jobs, running water, electricity, education, health and prosperity.
At the heart of the European continent, Kosovo’s stability concerns us all. Europe has a central role to play, both now and in the future. This provides the necessary safeguards for the region’s stability. Kosovo must be democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. It must display tolerance and ensure that the rights of all its inhabitants are protected, regardless of religion and ethnic origin.
Of course, no discussion can be complete without Serbia one of the region’s key states. Indeed, no Balkan equilibrium can ignore Serbia. We envision Serbia as an integral part of the European family and strongly believe it has a great deal to offer the EU and vice versa.
The prevalence of pro-European forces in the recent elections is a good omen. We hope to soon see the formation of a stable government that will succeed in bringing Serbia into the European family, where it belongs.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is the values at the core of the Euro-Atlantic prospect that make it a force to be reckoned with. Among these principles, good neighborly relations pose as a sine qua non condition for fostering partnerships and alliances.
As some of you may know, we are engaged in negotiations with Skopje over that country’s name. We are working for a geographical qualifier which will distinguish the part of Macedonia that belongs to FYROM from the more than 50% of this geographical area that is a part of Greece.
Greece has made significant concessions in its quest for a reasonable and fair compromise. A win-win solution. We hope that after their elections, which will be held on June 1st the leadership in Skopje will seize the opportunity and display the resolve that will secure its accession to NATO and, if all requirements are met, to the European Union.
In the same spirit, we are eager to see our neighbor, Turkey, advance its efforts towards the necessary reforms that will pave the way to EU accession. The implementation of the institutional, political and economic acquis of the EU plays a pivotal role in integration negotiations. There is no Europe a-la-cart. We firmly believe that should Turkey comply with the European acquis, the EU must in turn honor its commitments and grant full member status.
Unfortunately, it appears that Turkey still has a long way to go. We are concerned by its attitude towards human and, particularly, religious rights. Freedom of religion is a hallmark of EU values. The outcome of our democratic impulse. And we can not but be disappointed by Turkish authorities’ denial to accredit the Ecumenical Patriarch, the spiritual leader of over 300 million Christians across the globe or their unwillingness to reopen the Halki Seminary.
Regarding the Cyprus issue, we are dealing with a sad paradox. A member-state of the European Union is occupied by a candidate for accession. Our government remains steadfastly committed to reaching a just and viable solution for the reunification of Cyprus. Partition is not I repeat not – an option. The island must be reunited for its citizens, irrespective of their origin, to claim the peace and security dividend they so much deserve.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Confucius claimed that we learn wisdom [and I quote] “first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” [end quote]
If some wisdom is gained through experience, then our bitter historical past can only make us all the more fervent supporters of our region’s Euro-Atlantic perspective.
Wherever I travel in the region I am struck by the resilience and commitment of the peoples, who with courage and optimism look to the future, in NATO and the EU. Or better said, their Ithaca.
Once again, I would like to congratulate you on your excellent work and I wish you every success in your future endeavors.
Welcome to Greece.
Thank you.