The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for financial diplomacy and extroversion, Tasos Hatzivasiliousigned a Memorandum of Understanding for the operation of an extroversion office in Region of Creteon the sidelines of the 9th meeting of the Extraversion Council on Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Heraklion.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Secretary General of International Economic Relations and Extraversion and Enterprise Greece President Dimitris Skalkou, with the participation of the Regional Governor of Crete, Stavros Arnaoutakis.
With the support of Enterprise Greece, Crete is the fifth region that is part of the initiative of the General Secretariat of International Economic Relations and Extravagance. The establishment of extroversion offices in the Region aims to dynamically integrate regional authorities into the wider ecosystem of the country’s economic diplomacy, through a flexible connection mechanism that is expected to contribute to the better planning and coordination of extroversion actions.
At the start of the meeting, Mr. Hadjivasiliou stated: “I am very pleased to be in Heraklion today for the 9th meeting of the Extraversion Council. Crete plays a neuralgic role in the country’s economic growth. We are inaugurating a new era for the island, with the signing of a memorandum of cooperation with the Regional Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis for the operation of an extroversion office in the Region of Crete. ” As he pointed out: “Extraversion regional offices are a tool for supporting local businesses to promote exports. At the same time, they act as a mechanism for attracting investment for the benefit of local development. Supporting the extroversion of businesses active in the Greek region is a priority for the State Department and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Gerapetritis».
Mr Skalkos coordinated the presentation of the annual reports of 2024 on the actions of the National Strategic Extraversion Plan (ESSE), for the interest of the business community for international markets, as recorded by the Greek businesses’ requests to the OSE offices and the posts on the AGORA offices and the AGRA offices at the AGORA Exports of Enterprise Greece. In addition, Mr Skalkos referred to the importance of coordinating between economic diplomacy bodies, with the aim of systematically supporting Greek businesses in international markets and underlined the need for an integrated strategy for Extraversion with a horizon in 2030.
Crete Regional Governor Stavros Arnaoutakis stated: “The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the General Secretariat for International Economic Relations and Extraversion, the supervised bodies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Region of Crete for the operation of the Office of Extrusion. The regional strategy for extroversion has been a priority for the Region of Crete, as through cooperation with entrepreneurship, exports and trade, we have managed to strengthen the position of Crete’s products in international markets. The main goal of the Region remains the utilization of our comparative advantages and, of course, the promotion of exports, the connection of local products produced with traditional and new markets, as well as the further highlight of local identity through an organized plan, in which the office will be integrated.
During his stay in Heraklion, the Secretary General of DOS & Extraversion, accompanied by the Regional Governor and the President of the Exporters’ Association of Crete and the Pan -Hellenic Exporters Association, Alcibiades Kalamboki, visited the “Plastic Crete” companies.