US investors eye Greece again
American interest in activating investment plans in Greece is likely to be renewed as soon as the pandemic measures allow for it, according to a conference call that took place on Thursday with the participation of US groups, the US ambassador in Athens, Geoffrey Pyatt, and Greece’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kostas Fragogiannis.
That was an online round-table discussion organized by US think tank the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), which focused on investment prospects and opportunities opening in Greece.
Addressing an audience of about 30 representatives of major US companies, many of which are listed among the US Fortune 500 and are active in domains such as energy, property, tourism and financial services, Fragogiannis noted the international acknowledgement of the efficient and rapid manner in which the Greek government has tackled Covid-19. He added that Greece is emerging as a pioneer in managing international challenges, becoming a reliable partner and a stable investment destination.
The round-table noted that the pandemic crisis is generating new conditions and opportunities in the way international financial and commercial relations operate and acknowledged that – as the Greek minister observed – this country is already preparing at a fast rate for the day after the lockdown ends.
Talks also centered on the main pillars of the new investment framework that is being drafted and the option Greece is offering strategic investors, with an emphasis on innovative startups in sectors such as the digital economy, renewable energy sources and services.
Pyatt stressed on Twitter the “excellent US-Greece trade and commercial cooperation and the many opportunities for growing two-way investment in key sectors. As Greece emerges from the immediate Covid-19 crisis, economic ties are at the forefront of our agenda.”
Greece’s expectations for attracting significant US investment capital are focused on sectors such as privatizations, energy, technology, property, defense and portfolio holdings, as shown last September during the official visit by US Secretary for Commerce Wilbur Ross to Athens.
