On the occasion of the Greek National Day, commemorating the starting point of the struggle for independence, which led to the creation of the first Greek state of the modern era, I wish, first of all, to extend my warm greetings to the vibrant Greek community in Saudi Arabia and to the Greeks of Jeddah and the Western Region in particular. Our fellow citizens, who live and work in this hospitable country, honor the name of Greece and contribute, by words and deeds, to further developing the bonds of friendship between the two countries and their peoples.
For Greece, Saudi Arabia is a very important factor, in geopolitical and geoeconomic terms, at the international and the regional level as well. Both countries coincide in their strong belief for the necessity to respect the international legitimacy in accordance with the International Law and the Charter and resolutions of the United Nations.
Apart from the political, we envisage also a wide open spectrum in economic and trade cooperation fields, building on the will of both countries to enlarge the existing conventional framework, in a way to better institutionalize their relations. Particularly, the commercial relations can become more diversified and the relevant figures should increase to the benefit of both. In addition, there exists one, not yet fully exploited, field of cooperation between our thriving business communities. In this respect we encourage the exchange of visits and the direct contacts between businessmen.
We believe, in particular, that, the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Jeddah and Athens are well placed, by tradition and geographical position, to play a pivotal role to enhance the ample opportunities to that end. Therefore, we have to examine seriously the perspective of establishing a joint business council, which, on regular basis, would be exploring the common endeavors of the private sector, contributing simultaneously to the overall progress of the two economies.
Dr. Dimitrios Zavoritis
Consul General