07 April 2016 - The ASEAN Committee in Athens (ACAT) and the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) met at the ACCI’s office in downtown Athens on April 05.

ACCI President Constantine Michalos welcomed the ASEAN Ambassadors to ACCI, afterwards each ASEAN Ambassador delivered remarks to introduce their respective countries. Tran Thi Ha Phuong, Ambassador of Viet Nam to Greece and Chairperson of ACAT also gave a few words about ACAT and ASEAN to the ACCI.

Philippine Ambassador to Greece Nestor Z. Ochoa mentioned in his remarks the economic developments that have taken place in the Philippines. He informed the ACCI that the Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, registering an average growth of 6.2 percent from 2010 to 2015. Ambassador Ochoa also highlighted the fact that the rating of the Philippines has been raised to investment grade by Standard & Poor’s, Fitch Ratings, and Moody’s Investor Service. Ambassador Ochoa also featured the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), shipbuilding, and ship repair industries of the Philippines, among others.

At the end of the meeting, the participants agreed to further interaction in the future. The possibility of conducting a business mission to the ASEAN region and of creating an ASEAN business body in Greece was also considered both by the ASEAN Ambassadors and the ACCI.

In order to further promote opportunities in the ASEAN region, an ASEAN Business Seminar will be held at the ACCI on April 11. The activity is being co-organized by the ACCI and the EU-ASEAN Business Network. END.