The 13th Arab-Hellenic Economic Forum wrapped up its works on 28th November after two days of intensive discussions and thoughtful deliberations on energy, construction, and their subsectors. 185 Arab and 137 Greek participants gathered at the Athenaeum Intercontinental Hotel of Athens to discuss the challenges and opportunities for closer Arab-Greek business relations in the sectors and fields the Forum covered.
On November 27, The opening ceremony included speeches by the Chamber’s President and Secretary General, keynote addresses by Dr. Saad Alammar, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Dean of the Council of Arab Ambassadors, and by Christos Staikouras, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Greece. After the signing of a MoU between Weiss Hellas Interna S.A. from Greece with Judy Touches Company from Saudi Arabia, Aref Boualwan, Chief Initiatives and Startups Officer, Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), representing CCC’s Chairman, Samer Khoury, delivered a special introduction.
As the day unfolded, so did the four sessions on traditional forms of energy, as well as renewable ones, cooperations between the Greek and Arab sides and the social and environmental impact of green energy projects. The list of speakers included were CEO’s and high-ranking executives of major players in the energy sectors, including Alexandra Sdoukou, Greek Deputy Minister of Environment and Energy.
The agenda also allocated two fireside chats: the first one took place between Raed Bassatne, Business Coordinator Manager, B.B. Energy Management S.A. and Rashad Mabger, Secretary General of the Arab-Hellenic Chamber. The quick and friendly chat aimed to present the important Arab offshore company to the audience, including a brief history of the Group, its beginnings and future aspirations. The other fireside chat took place in the form of a mini-interview of Maria Rita Galli, CEO of the Hellenic Gas Transmission System Operator S.A. (DESFA), conducted by Lalela Chrysanthopoulou, Editor in Chief, energygame.gr and powergame.gr. Ms Galli confirmed the successful operation of its Kuwaiti LNG import terminal and the rising interest in LNG which enhances Greece’s position and places the country at the energy crossroads.
As a highlight of the day, a special introduction was given by a long-time friend of the Chamber, Dr. Ghassan Ejjeh, Senior Vice-President, BESIX Group & BESIX SANOTEC S.A., Vice-President, Arab-Belgium-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and international expert in water management, among other affiliations, who spoke of the urgent issue of wastewater treatment he has been advocating for decades.
The second day’s program of Thursday, November 28, was wholly dedicated to construction, its subsectors and related fields. After the keynote speaker, Prof. Dr. Hamody A. Hameed, Senior Advisor for Industry & Private Sector Development, Prime Minister’s Office, Iraq, delivered a presentation on the many investment opportunities his country offers for establishment of plants and the execution of projects in various regions of Iraq, there followed four sessions on the construction, infrastructure projects and building materials with an emphasis on sustainable buildings, incorporating sustainability and smart technologies in urban development and the national visions of Greece and the GCC countries in sectors related to the Forum’s themes.
A special introduction was delivered by Dimitris Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance of Greece, who reconfirmed the Greek Government’s dedication to building a stronger and better Greek social and architectural fabric through the application of digitalized services in all aspects of everyday life.
Parallel to the sessions, intensive networking and business meetings were conducted between the Greek businessmen and their counterparts from 17 Arab countries.
The 13th Forum’s works were concluded with a Gala Dinner on the evening of November 28th, which opened with the keynote address by the Secretary General for Trade, Sotirios Anagnostopoulos, who represented the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The Dinner was a celebration of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of the Arab-Hellenic Chamber and included a presentation of folkloric dances and Arabic culinary experiences. It was also an occasion to pay tribute to the founders and pioneers of an initiative that prompted an exciting journey that has led to the Chamber of today.
The Arab-Hellenic Chamber would like to thank all the panelists and keynote speakers and note the praiseworthy level of attendees. The constant progress made in our events becomes clear by the year and we could not be prouder. We would also like to express our gratitude to the organizations that granted their auspices to our Forum and to the member companies for their contribution.
Last but not least, a sincere word of thanks goes to our members and companies who stood by us so that another event was crowned with great success. As the only representative of the Arab Chambers and Federations in Greece, the Arab-Hellenic Chamber is dedicated to its values and goals to promote Greek-Arab business and commercial relations in all business domains. Thank you for trusting us for 45 years, here’s to many more decades to come.
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To download the list of speakers according to order of appearance, click here.
Selected photos from our event:
