Chamber’s Foreword

Special Edition

www.arabhellenicchamber.gr Harris Geronikolas

President

Rashad Mabger

Secretary General Dear Reader, We continue to live in unprecedented times of global insecurity, where a global pandemic has heavily impacted the morale and spirit of citizens on a global scale. We also cannot avoid mentioning the more recent conflict in Europe which has now been added to a long list of over 30 ongoing conflicts and occupations worldwide which have devastated nations around the world. The burden and lasting fallout of war also impact conflict-affected countries’ economies, the consequences of which are profound and enduring. We must thus all advocate and stand for peace, security, human dignity and harmony, regardless of race, religion, ethnic background or political views. This issue of MAN coincides with our third event for this year, “Greek – Egyptian Business Gathering” which is to take place on 1 June 2022 in Athens, Greece. This event comes at a significant phase in the relationship and interaction between Greece and Egypt, in advance coordination between the leaderships of the two countries towards many issues relevant to the economy, investment, and the regional level. On this very special occasion, we have the opportunity to drive cross-country business opportunities between Egypt and Greece and explore new paths to business development. Egypt has always played an instrumental and critical role in influencing other countries in the Arab region. Its role as a leader in the region has always been bolstered by its history, geopolitical position, and its balanced foreign policy that is grounded in respect and cooperation. More recently, Egypt has invested in large scale projects to build new towns, strengthen, and build road networks, as well as modernize infrastructure in numerous domains, all of which will further contribute to Egypt’s influence as an investment hub in the region and more importantly will bring new opportunities and improve the quality of life of Egyptian people. On the other hand, Greece’s national strategy has been successful in attracting investments and placing the country on the map as one of the most attractive for investments and exports to world markets. Greece has managed to do this despite the detrimental impact of the previous economic crisis and the pandemic on its economy. The trade balance between Egypt and Greece in the past three years indicates modest figures. We believe that this can be further increased if the relevant institutions and authorities in both countries incentivize imports from each country to create a favourable trade environment. Investments and trade can be further strengthened through the private sector, specifically in investments and projects in building infrastructure, including but not limited to roads, bridges and power supplies, needed for operational capacity of the country. We hope that this event will add to the achievements of the Arab-Hellenic Chamber and its continuous diligence in enhancing Arab-Greek relations in all business domains.