Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has announced the operation of direct flights between China and Greece starting from September 2017.
The announcement was made during his speech at the 2nd Greek-Chinese Cities Forum in Beijing on Saturday, on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation conference.
According to industry data, about 150,000 Chinese tourists visited Greece in 2016 with numbers now projected to rise to 1 million by 2021 with the new flight arrangements.
During his speech the Greek PM applauded China’s diplomatic event and said that Greece is returning to a development path that offers significant commercial and investment opportunities.
“Greece is expanding its role as a major regional hub of trade, energy, telecommunications, supply chain and tourism,” Tsipras said.
The Greek PM referred to the Belt and Road Forum as a long-term initiative of the 21st century that is designed according to the wisdom of ancient China’s idea of the Silk Road.
“What is particularly important for us is that the objectives of the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative are in line with our own regional economic goals,” the Greek PM said, adding that Greece’s dynamic, coherent, strategic partnership with China sets a solid basis for working towards that direction.
“Our country is fully exploiting its unique geopolitical identity as a country of Europe, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and the wider Black Sea region, but also as a naval country with the potential to promote its relations far beyond its area,” he said.
Referring to Greece as a country with rich cultural heritage and a leader in world tourism, Tsipras said that Greece particularly appreciates the importance of China’s initiative for people-to-people contacts, cultural exchanges and tourism.
Tsipras also referred to Cosco’s “very important investment” in Piraeus Port which is making it a global gateway to Europe for products coming from Chinese and Asian ports, and through Suez Canal.
“From the port of Piraeus, goods can easily be transported by rail to many destinations in the Balkans and Central Europe,” PM Tsipras said.
Moreover, he underlined that 2017 is the year of cultural exchanges between Greece and China and reminded that China will be the honoured country of the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair (TIF) to be held this September.
While in China, the PM held a series of bilateral meetings with China’s President Xi Jinping; UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres; Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin; Turkey’s leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan; and IMF head, Christine Lagarde.
The Greek PM is also expected to sign a three-year agreement that will seek to bring in Chinese investments in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
