Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis: “Being more organised and methodical, we will strengthen the bridges with Greeks all around the world”

The Strategic Plan for Hellenism Abroad 2024-2027 was presented on Wednesday, 6 November 2024, at an event held at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Athens, in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The event was introduced and prefaced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Gerapetritis, and was followed by a presentation of the Strategic Plan by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Kotsiras, and the Secretary General of Hellenism Abroad and Public Diplomacy, Myra Myrogiannis.

The event ended with the address given by the Prime Minister, who emphasised that the Strategic Plan for Hellenism Abroad is an initiative that “strengthens” the ties of the diaspora with the motherland, and at the same time, a conscious choice, which declares the decision of the State to form a diplomacy that moves on many levels, which will promote the interests of the country, improving the international image of Greece.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted that Greece, in a much more organised and methodical way, will attempt to strengthen the bridges that unite it with Greeks all around the world, to thicken the contact networks between them, and to make use of modern tools and technology.

Mr Mitsotakis cited as an example, the Greek language learning platform that was developed as a result of a partnership between the Ministry of Education, with the support of the “Stavros Niarchos” Foundation, and the Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and has – as he said – more than 50,000 users worldwide.

The prime minister added that it is the permanent duty and obligation of our country to be able to serve every Greek woman, every Greek man beyond the barriers of the borders and pointed out that “the contact with the consular authorities was in the minds of the Greeks abroad – and to a certain extent it can still be – identified with one word – and that word is “inconvenient”.

He emphasised that “we have to change this and I think this is something that is recognised by the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That is why I insist so much on the use of new digital tools, combined of course with the support for the necessary staff, which I have personally secured, so as to completely change and drastically simplify the communication of our fellow citizens abroad with our consular authorities”.

Finally, he noted that embassies and consulates are the face of the country abroad and must function flawlessly, while he pointed out the government’s intervention that enabled Greek men and women to exercise their electoral right from their place of residence, in the second version of the law, through the postal vote.

“In Greece, unfortunately, it was met with feigned objections from the opposition. It was voted positively for the European elections – I want to remind – only by the governing majority. It was put into practice, it was implemented in the European elections with complete success and it is a proof that the reforms that some said “cannot be done”, can and are done as long as there is the will”, stressed the Prime Minister.

It is pointed out that the main objectives of the Strategic Plan for Hellenism Abroad are the strengthening of the ties of the metropolitan centre with the Greek Diaspora, the essential, two-way communication with it and the strengthening of the Greek element throughout the world. The Strategic Plan includes over 100 operational actions, which are included in six main objectives:

The plan focuses on six main objectives:

• Upgrading the services provided by the consular authorities.
• Supporting and developing networks and structures of the Diaspora, with an emphasis on new ways of organising them.
• Leveraging the presence of the Diaspora to enhance the image of Greece.
• Maintaining the elements of Hellenism by strengthening the Greek language, history, traditions, and culture, while approaching and empowering the younger generation.
• Maintaining and strengthening bonds with the Orthodox Church as a unifying factor between the metropolitan centre and the Diaspora.
• Strengthening bilateral and multilateral collaborations in the area of Diaspora affairs.

The actions of the Strategic Plan include, among others, the creation of a register of expatriate organisations, the networking of Greek academics, scientists and businessmen around the world, the support of the chairs of Greek studies, the enrichment of the Greek learning platform staellinika.com, the expansion of the hospitality programs for the young people of the Diaspora, the upgrading of consular services through digitisation and actions to attract the ‘brain drain’ generation.