Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Minister of National Economy and Finance, emphasized the strategic upgrade of Thessaloniki as an international hub for the supply chain and humanitarian aid, during his remarks at the inauguration of the new International Organization for Migration (IOM) Supply Chain Management Center.
The minister described the establishment of the Center in Thessaloniki as a “national success,” noting that the city’s selection was not a foregone conclusion but rather the result of a coordinated effort by the Greek side. As he emphasized, the new facility strengthens Greece’s role in international logistics networks and creates opportunities for investment, new jobs, and greater participation by Greek companies in the Organization’s international procurement.
At the same time, he announced that the IOM’s permanent Logistics Center will be housed in a new, modern facility in Kalochori, with the National Development Fund overseeing the project, which has a total budget of 5 million euros.
Kyriakos Pierrakakis also emphasized that, at a time when supply chains constitute critical infrastructure for addressing international crises, Greece can leverage its geographic location as a strategic advantage, strengthening its international role and credibility.
The minister’s full remarks follow
“Ministers,
Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration,
Distinguished representatives of the United Nations,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In the 21st century, geography alone is not enough.
A country’s position on the map is not enough on its own. Its true value is determined by its ability to transform its geographic position into connectivity, its infrastructure into reliability, and its strategic location into a tangible operational advantage.
The Center we are inaugurating today embodies precisely this transition.
Allow me, at this point, to say a few words in Greek, addressing in particular the citizens of Thessaloniki and our homeland.
Today is a particularly important day for Thessaloniki and for our entire country.
The establishment of the International Organization for Migration’s Global Supply Chain Management Center here in Thessaloniki is a national success. This was not a foregone conclusion. We fought for it, worked systematically, and succeeded in bringing a global-scale institution to Greece.
Thessaloniki has historically served as a bridge between continents, peoples, and trade routes. Today, this historic role is taking on new meaning. The city is emerging as an international logistics and supply hub, creating new jobs, attracting new investments, and opening up new opportunities for Greek businesses.
Above all, this latest development confirms that Greece can compete for, win, and host activities of global strategic importance.
When an international organization chooses a city from which to coordinate its response to global crises, it chooses reliability, institutional competence, and operational effectiveness.
It chooses the certainty that, when the need arises, the institutions will function, the mechanisms will respond, and aid will reach the right place at the right time.
The selection of Thessaloniki was the result of a coordinated and multifaceted effort. Ministries, public agencies, local authorities, and the Permanent Mission of Greece in Geneva worked consistently to make this project a reality within a short period of time.
And I would like to extend special thanks to Ambassador Ioannis Gikas and the Deputy Managing Director of the National Development Fund, Panagiotis Stampolidis, for their consistent efforts, which played a decisive role in bringing this project to fruition.
The speed with which this process moved forward says something essential about Greece today: that when we set a strategic goal and work in a coordinated manner, we can achieve tangible and measurable results.
However, this is only one side of the story.
The other lies in Thessaloniki itself and in the comparative advantages the city offers.
Thessaloniki is situated at the crossroads of Europe, the Balkans, and the Eastern Mediterranean. It connects maritime transport with inland markets and provides access to a broader region of growing geopolitical importance, stretching from Southeast Europe to the Middle East and North Africa.
Its port, transportation infrastructure, access to the Single European Market, and highly skilled workforce combine to form a unique set of operational advantages.
This investment also has a clear economic impact.
The International Organization for Migration manages humanitarian aid supplies worth over $1 billion each year, and in some cases, the annual volume reaches $1.7 billion. This creates significant opportunities for the Greek economy, businesses, suppliers, supply chain companies, as well as research institutions and universities that can contribute innovation, know-how, and specialized expertise.
Greece continues to rank relatively low in terms of its share of the World Bank’s procurement. This means there is significant room for growth. This Center can serve as a catalyst for Greek entrepreneurship, paving the way for greater participation in international procurement and global value chains.
And, most importantly, we are not talking about an infrastructure project that may bear fruit at some point in the future. We are talking about a structure that is already producing tangible results.
Within its first few months of operation, the Center supported 21 international missions, managed more than 20,000 cubic meters of humanitarian supplies, and helped respond to emergencies in crises ranging from Afghanistan and Myanmar to Mozambique and Sudan.
This is, perhaps, the most significant point.
Because it demonstrates that Thessaloniki is now home to an active hub for international operations and humanitarian missions.
And this highlights a deeper truth about the world as it is taking shape.
We live in an era where supply chains have evolved into infrastructure that is critical to the resilience of societies and economies.
When war breaks out, or when natural disasters—such as the recent devastating earthquake in Venezuela—strike entire regions, or even when populations are forced to flee their homes, the speed of the response becomes a decisive factor. At such times, the supply chain ceases to be merely a technical function of the economy and becomes a factor of stability, security, and the protection of human life.
Thessaloniki will serve as the hub for organizing the support networks that will reach people facing crises thousands of kilometers away.
And this gives the Center we are inaugurating today a significance that far exceeds the boundaries of mere infrastructure.
The power of nations depends increasingly on their position within major international networks. Those at the core of these networks gain greater resilience and enhance their strategic importance.
Today proves that Thessaloniki can play such a role.
And it confirms that Greece can continue to strengthen its position:
- by transforming its comparative advantages into real power,
- by turning its geographic location into a strategic advantage,
- by asserting a stronger presence in the evolving world.
I would like to personally assure the International Organization for Migration that Greece will support this effort with all its might.
And before I conclude, it is with great pleasure that I would like to announce today a significant development that will further strengthen our cooperation.
The International Organization for Migration’s new Supply Chain Center will be housed in a modern facility in Kalochori, which is already being adapted for this purpose.
In this context, I have already instructed the National Development Fund to proceed with the preparation of your Organization’s new permanent Logistics Center, a project with a total budget of 5 million euros.
This is tangible proof of our steadfast and unwavering support for your strategic choices.
We believe in the power of collaboration, in the opportunities it creates for the local economy, and in the added value that this joint effort brings to society at large.
Our ambition is not merely to host this Center, but to serve as a stable, reliable, and long-term partner in its mission.
Thank you very much.”