EXPO 2017
The National Day of Greece was celebrated in a festive and enthusiastic atmosphere at EXPO 2017 in Kazakhstan.
The celebrations began with the inauguration of a photo exhibition by Greek Instagrammers at the Greek pavilion. The first day of the photo exhibition was particularly moving, thanks to the keen interest of visitors to the Greek pavilion eager to see Greece as seen through the eyes of the Greeks themselves.
The Greek delegation was led by Minister of Economy and Development, Mr. Dimitris Papadimitriou, who was accompanied by the General Commissioner of Greece to EXPO 2017 and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Development, Mr. Elias Xanthakos, the Deputy Commissioner, Ms. Teti Perissaki of Enterprise Greece, the CEO of Enterprise Greece, Mr. Elias Athanasiou, the Greek Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Mr. Alexandros Katranis and the Director of GΝTO’s Moscow and CIS Office, Mr. Polykarpos Efstathiou.
The Greek minister and delegation welcomed Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister, Mukhtar Tileuberdi, EXPO 2017 General Commissioner Rapil Zhoshybayev and officials of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In his remarks, Mr. Papadimitriou made reference to the friendly ties between the two countries, underscoring how Greece serves as an example to others, and whose government has made every effort to ensure the energy autonomy of its island archipelago while at the same time adopting the most environmentally friendly solutions.
The Kazakh minister, noting that the two countries are now marking their 25th year of diplomatic relations, emphasised how Kazakhstan aims to become an energy producing hub, linking Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He congratulated the Greek delegation for the festive climate in the Greek pavilion and its message of sound energy resource management.
The official ceremony included the performance of the national anthems of the two countries, accompanied by the raising of the flags, and followed by a performance by the dance group Horopaignio, that helped create a convivial atmosphere at the Greek pavilion until late afternoon. The dance group’s performance was organized and sponsored by the Greek National Tourism Organization (www.visitgreece.gr).
The following day, July 22, 2017, an official bilateral meeting was held between the Minister of Economy and Development, Mr. D. Papadimitriou, and the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr. H. Seko. The Greek Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Development and General Commissioner of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Mr. E. Xanthakos, and the CEO of Enterprise Greece, Mr. Elias Athanasiou, also participated in the meeting, while the Japanese side was represented by the Prefect of Osaka, Ichiro Matsui, and the President of the Kansai Federation for Economy and Commerce, Mr. Masayoshi Matsumoti.
This meeting was at the request of the Japanese delegation to present Osaka’s credentials to host World Expo 2025. In addition, bilateral trade issues were discussed, which both the President of the Kansai Federation, Matsumoti, and the CEO of Enterprise Greece, Mr. Athanasiou, undertook to develop further at a follow-up meeting, and with the two ministers defining the areas of mutual interest.
At the Greek pavilion, Greek Deputy Commissioner Ms. Teti Perissaki hosted a tour for the Japanese delegation, which culminated in the Japanese minister expressing his compliments for the Greek presence, signing the visitors’ book and pledging to visit Athens soon.
The Greek Minister of Economy congratulated the Greek delegation and the CEO of Enterprise Greece (www.enterprisegreece.gov.gr) for the organization of the Greek participation in EXPO 2017.
General information about EXPO 2017:
The World Exhibitions, known as EXPO, have been staged continuously since 1851 by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). They are considered to be the world’s leading cultural, social and entertainment event, and are organized into three categories:
• The historic Expos (1851-1933), which were characterized by now world-famous landmarks (Eiffel Tower, Atomium, Crystal Palace, etc.).
• The World Expo, lasting six months and organized on a regular basis every five years since 1996 (2000, 2005, 2010 etc.), such as the recent Milan 2015 and the upcoming Dubai 2020.
• The International Expo, held as an intermediate event of the World Expo series and lasting three months, such as the current EXPO 2017.
The Greek Pavilion
At EXPO 2017, 115 countries and international organizations participated, including Greece with a 450 sq. meter pavilion and sharing space with the Luxembourg national pavilion. The Greek pavilion presented a complete portrait of modern Greece by conveying the vitality of the country to visitors. The pavilion also highlighted Greece as an investment destination, both for renewable energy projects and for the exploitation of other natural resources. Greece’s geostrategic position represents a significant competitive advantage for the country to serve as an energy hub for the Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans and Europe.
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/<p>The National Day of Greece was celebrated in a festive and enthusiastic atmosphere at <strong>EXPO 2017 in Kazakhstan</strong>.</p>
<p>The celebrations began with the inauguration of a photo exhibition by Greek Instagrammers at the Greek pavilion. The first day of the photo exhibition was particularly moving, thanks to the keen interest of visitors to the Greek pavilion eager to see Greece as seen through the eyes of the Greeks themselves.</p>
<p>The Greek delegation was led by Minister of Economy and Development, <strong>Mr. Dimitris Papadimitriou</strong>, who was accompanied by the General Commissioner of Greece to EXPO 2017 and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Development, <strong>Mr. Elias Xanthakos</strong>, the Deputy Commissioner, <strong>Ms. Teti Perissaki</strong> of Enterprise Greece, the CEO of Enterprise Greece, <strong>Mr. Elias Athanasiou</strong>, the Greek Ambassador to Kazakhstan, <strong>Mr. Alexandros Katranis</strong> and the Director of GΝTO’s Moscow and CIS Office, <strong>Mr. Polykarpos Efstathiou</strong>.</p>
<p>The Greek minister and delegation welcomed Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister, <strong>Mukhtar Tileuberdi</strong>, EXPO 2017 General Commissioner Rapil Zhoshybayev and officials of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan.</p>
<p>In his remarks, Mr. Papadimitriou made reference to the friendly ties between the two countries, underscoring how Greece serves as an example to others, and whose government has made every effort to ensure the energy autonomy of its island archipelago while at the same time adopting the most environmentally friendly solutions.</p>
<p>The Kazakh minister, noting that the two countries are now marking their 25th year of diplomatic relations, emphasised how Kazakhstan aims to become an energy producing hub, linking Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He congratulated the Greek delegation for the festive climate in the Greek pavilion and its message of sound energy resource management.</p>
<p>The official ceremony included the performance of the national anthems of the two countries, accompanied by the raising of the flags, and followed by a performance by the dance group Horopaignio, that helped create a convivial atmosphere at the Greek pavilion until late afternoon. The dance group’s performance was organized and sponsored by the Greek National Tourism Organization (<a href="https://www.visitgreece.gr/">www.visitgreece.gr</a>).</p>
<p>The following day, July 22, 2017, an official bilateral meeting was held between the Minister of Economy and Development, Mr. D. Papadimitriou, and the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr. H. Seko. The Greek Secretary General of the Ministry of Economy and Development and General Commissioner of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Mr. E. Xanthakos, and the CEO of Enterprise Greece, Mr. Elias Athanasiou, also participated in the meeting, while the Japanese side was represented by the Prefect of Osaka, Ichiro Matsui, and the President of the Kansai Federation for Economy and Commerce, Mr. Masayoshi Matsumoti.</p>
<p>This meeting was at the request of the Japanese delegation to present Osaka's credentials to host World Expo 2025. In addition, bilateral trade issues were discussed, which both the President of the Kansai Federation, Matsumoti, and the CEO of Enterprise Greece, Mr. Athanasiou, undertook to develop further at a follow-up meeting, and with the two ministers defining the areas of mutual interest.</p>
<p>At the Greek pavilion, Greek Deputy Commissioner Ms. Teti Perissaki hosted a tour for the Japanese delegation, which culminated in the Japanese minister expressing his compliments for the Greek presence, signing the visitors' book and pledging to visit Athens soon.</p>
<p>The Greek Minister of Economy congratulated the Greek delegation and the CEO of Enterprise Greece (<a href="https://www.enterprisegreece.gov.gr/">www.enterprisegreece.gov.gr</a>) for the organization of the Greek participation in EXPO 2017.</p>
<p><br />General information about <strong>EXPO 2017</strong>:<br />The World Exhibitions, known as EXPO, have been staged continuously since 1851 by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). They are considered to be the world's leading cultural, social and entertainment event, and are organized into three categories:</p>
<p>• The historic Expos (1851-1933), which were characterized by now world-famous landmarks (Eiffel Tower, Atomium, Crystal Palace, etc.).</p>
<p>• The World Expo, lasting six months and organized on a regular basis every five years since 1996 (2000, 2005, 2010 etc.), such as the recent Milan 2015 and the upcoming Dubai 2020.</p>
<p>• The International Expo, held as an intermediate event of the World Expo series and lasting three months, such as the current EXPO 2017.</p>
<p><strong>The Greek Pavilion<br /></strong>At EXPO 2017, 115 countries and international organizations participated, including Greece with a 450 sq. meter pavilion and sharing space with the Luxembourg national pavilion. The Greek pavilion presented a complete portrait of modern Greece by conveying the vitality of the country to visitors. The pavilion also highlighted Greece as an investment destination, both for renewable energy projects and for the exploitation of other natural resources. Greece's geostrategic position represents a significant competitive advantage for the country to serve as an energy hub for the Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans and Europe.</p>/sddefault.webp)