Greek PM scheduled to have slew of meetings in NY

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in New York on Wednesday to attend the 76th United Nations General Assembly with the broader aim to enhance Greece’s presence on the international stage on the geopolitical, business and diaspora levels.

“With his international contacts and [Mitsotakis’] continuous effort he has managed to upgrade the political and geostrategic role of Greece, effectively defending our national rights and our aspirations at all levels,” said government spokesman Yiannis Oikonomou on Wednesday.

To this end, Mitsotakis is scheduled to have a barrage of meetings, which began on Wednesday with a dinner with the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the participation of European prime ministers including Austria’s Sebastian Kurz, Belgium’s Alexander De Croo and Ireland’s Micheal Martin.

His program on Thursday includes a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, focusing on the climate crisis and the Cyprus issue, while Friday’s program includes a meeting with Libyan President Mohamed Al-Menfi ahead of the elections that will take place in the North African country by the end of the year.

However, his contacts will not stop there, as there is a scheduled meeting with the president of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris, a staunch ally of Greece in the US Congress.

On the business side of things, he will have meetings with Microsoft President Brad Smith, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, as well as the president of the KKR fund, Henry Kravis, who had previously shown an interest in the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator (known by its Greek acronym, DEDDIE).

The much touted possibility of a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now considered highly unlikely as no relevant request or contacts have been made. Moreover, Erdogan was scheduled to leave New York last night.

Source: ekathimerini.com