The Vice President of the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EBEA), Sofia Kounenaki – Ephraimoglou, speaking at the Greek -Turkey Business Forum, which was held today, May 9, in Constantinople, stressed that entrepreneurship can operate as a bridge.

Attending the forum were, among other things, the Deputy Foreign Minister responsible for Economic Diplomacy and Extraversion, Tasos Hatzivasiliou and the Turkish counterpart of Ambassador Mehmet Kemal Bozai, who also addressed a greeting.

“We are here in Istanbul as EBEA in collaboration with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce with which we have a long cooperation, and especially in the last year, starting with the mission we had made in Constantinople and the B2Bs we organized and we have been in Kounenaki – Ephraimoglou, after the forum is completed and before B2B meetings began.

The Vice President of the EBEA emphasized the cooperation of the two countries in the new technologies: “It was excellent to organize” Hackathon Greece-Turkey 2024-2025 “which we did in collaboration with” Bilisim Vadisi “and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Technology. Companies and common projects for the common good and what has had great results we want to continue. “

She also referred to the contacts that the Greek mission had in Constantinople about the ecosystems of the Greek and Turkish startups: “We had a meeting yesterday at” BTM “which is the very large incubator belonging to the Constantinople Chamber of Commerce, as we have” Start-ups of the two countries.

In her speech, from the preceding step, she stated that her presence in Constantinople is for her “a mission that brings in contact with Greek and Turkish companies from dynamic sectors of the economy, such as information technology, transport, telecommunications, energy, construction and food” Greek -Turkish economic relations through dialogue, partnerships and investment. “

He said that Turkey has a “strong industrial base, a strategic geographical location, a huge internal market and a growing ecosystem of technology and innovation”, while on the other hand “Greece has made a dynamic recovery, it is placed as a hub of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, and is highly attracted to the Eastern Mediterranean, As he said, “our economies are more complementary than competitive, and that’s exactly what we seek to show.”

“In February 2024, during an important business mission in Istanbul, the two countries’ trade chambers formalized their cooperation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of enhancing bilateral economic relations through structured cooperation, including the exchange Business. “

Ms Kounenaki – Ephraimoglou argued that business cooperation is unaware of borders, does not depend on political fluctuations, based on consistency, reliability and common goals.

“In EBEA, we firmly believe that entrepreneurship can act as a bridge of peace and stability. We are here to build on what has already been achieved and to create even more added value for our societies. We envision a common future – a future where Greek and Turkish companies innovate together, export together, invest in third markets and create synergies in areas such as energy, sustainable development, tourism, education and research, ”concluded the Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce.

The Greek -Turkey Business Forum is part of the broader effort to strengthen bilateral economic and trade relations with neighboring Turkey. It is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with Enterprise Greece, the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Association of Business and Industry, the Northern Greece Exporters Association and the Constantinople Chamber of Commerce, and the mission is also attended by Greek businessmen.

In the framework of the Forum, Greek and Turkish businessmen, active in the sectors of shipping, transport, construction, information systems, tourism, pharmaceutical and nutrition, had B2B contacts and discussions about synergies and investment opportunities.