With more than 40 events at the Greek pavilion and many interventions, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Outreach highlighted the importance that Greece attaches to climate change, Costas Fragogiannisand the Secretary General of International Economic Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dimitris Skalkos, who participated in the delegation that represented Greece and supported Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the events of COP29, held in Baku between November 11 and 22, 2024.

In particular, Mr. Fragogiannis referred to the adoption of policies to deal more effectively with the climate crisis, the gradual transformation of Greece into a regional green energy hub and the contribution of economic diplomacy to the smart and sustainable development of the country.

At our national stand, with which Greece is again this year “present” at the United Nations Climate Summit – which was edited by the Ministry of Environment and Energy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the support of Enterprise Greece – are planned to host more than 40 events, with the aim of presenting the positions and priorities of Greece in the global issues of environmental protection and sustainable development.

In an event entitled “Greece at COP: Leading the Wayin Green Economy and Climate Action”, which took place on Tuesday, November 12, Costas Fragogiannis spoke with the Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy, Alexandra Sdoukou, about the country’s green transition through the promotion of new technologies, such as solar and offshore wind, as well as green hydrogen. Mr. Fragogiannis referred, among other things, to the pioneering program “Astypalaia – Smart and Sustainable Island”, which aims to improve the lives of the residents, through the transformation of Astypalaia into a model of green mobility and circular economy, both in terms of transportation and in the energy production sector.

On Wednesday November 13, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs hosted at the Greek pavilion the Minister of Environment and Energy Theodoros Skylakakis and the COO of the Emirati business giant Masdar Abdulaziz Alobaidli in a parallel event entitled “GR-ean Digital World: Greece and Masdar inpivotal cooperation on Green and Clean Digital transformation”. In the context of the event, the prospects of further cooperation between Greece and Masdar and the United Arab Emirates for the green and digital transition were discussed. Mr. Fragogiannis emphasized the role of economic diplomacy in attracting investments for the creation of green and clean digital centers and thanked Masdar for investing in our country for years. On his part, Mr. Alobaidli praised Greece’s favorable investment environment and the high level of scientific and technological training possessed by young Greeks.

On the sidelines of the work of the Synod, Mr. Fragogiannis had meetings with executives of Greek companies participating in the Synod.

For his part, the general secretary Dimitris Skalkos made the introductory presentation at the panel organized by the General Secretariat of International Economic Relations and External Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs entitled “Green Ports for a Sustainable Blue Economy”. Mr. Skalkos highlighted the importance of port infrastructures for international trade and their pivotal role in the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity and environmental resilience. He also noted the development of “green” port infrastructure in our country with the introduction of “cold-ironing” technology and the planning of the transformation of Poros into a model green island.

Also, the CG DOSE addressed the Enterprise Greece event entitled “Greece as Power Hub: Telecoms, IT and Energy”, highlighting the positive performance of the Greek economy as a consequence of the improvement of the business environment in recent years as well as the positive prospects that the green transition and the digital transformation of the economy are underway.

Finally, Mr. Skalkos held a working meeting with the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Carla Barnett, in which they discussed the common challenges of island and coastal regions in the face of climate change, as well as issues of adoption of good practices and transfer of know-how in the fields of environmental protection and renewables energy sources, maritime transport and sustainable tourism.