With the aim of highlighting Greece's economic transformation and opening new channels with the international business and technological ecosystem, Kyriakos Mitsotakis continues his important contacts in the US, where he is participating in the UN General Assembly.Looking to attract new investment capital to our country, the prime minister is meeting with top executives of technology companies, investors and representatives of the global economy. The visit to Silicon Valley gave the first indication, as he was at the headquarters of Nvidia and Sequoia Capital, while he participated in a closed discussion, with the participation of investors, founders of rapidly growing technology companies and executives of the innovation ecosystem.
In the discussion with General Catalyst's Chief Strategy Officer, Alexis Black Bjorling, the prospects for further activity by international companies in Greece, the momentum of Greek startups and the utilization of the country's scientific and business potential were at the center.
In New York, Mr. Mitsotakis, among other things, will participate in a roundtable with institutional investors, while he will be at Columbia University for a discussion with World Bank President Ajay Banga.
Beyond these contacts, the prime minister is trying to highlight the elements that, according to the government, have changed the image of the Greek economy: growth faster than the eurozone average, rapid de-escalation of public debt and improved access to international markets.
In the same line of argument he includes the recent upgrades of Greece's credit rating, arguing that they reflect the change in the way the country is now assessed by the markets.
In this context are also included the institutional changes that, according to the Maximos Mansion, make the economic environment more attractive for international businesses. A characteristic example is the change in the framework for hedge funds, which Kyriakos Mitsotakis cites as a case where a targeted intervention can influence the decisions of international capital.
To return
At the same time, the government is attempting to link economic growth with the reversal of brain drain, creating conditions so that Greek scientists and professionals working abroad can return without abandoning their professional prospects.
The prime minister has characteristically referred to Tesla's presence in Greece and the advanced research the company conducts in the country, noting that it has attracted Greeks who had been working abroad. In the same direction are also the tax incentives for the return of Greeks abroad, so that the return of human capital is accompanied by the creation of new, highly specialized jobs.
The image Mr. Mitsotakis conveys in the US is that of a Greece seeking to change its productive model. A country that wants to combine fiscal stability with technology, innovation with entrepreneurship and international capital with the development of its own companies.
What is now sought for Athens is for the improvement of fiscal and macroeconomic data to translate into more production, higher productivity, new businesses and well-paid jobs.
In this light, the prime minister wants to present a Greece that does not want to be known only for its tourism, but also for technology, innovation, extroversion and its ability to participate actively in the new global economy.
Whether he will succeed remains to be seen…