President of the Cyprus-Greece Business Association Iosif Iosif is set to engage in significant discussions with economic, business, and investment entities from Greece during his visit to the 87th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) held from September 9 to 17.

According to statements made this week to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), the primary objective of these meetings is to further promote economic, trade, and business relations between Cyprus and Greece to the benefit of both countries.

Iosif, attending the fair at the personal invitation of the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, will be present at the TIF inauguration ceremony on Saturday, September 9, where the Prime Minister is slated to be the keynote speaker.

iosif

Iosif Iosif

What is more, during the interview with CNA, Iosif outlined his plans to meet with chamber of commerce representatives from northern Greece to discuss practical strategies for expanding Cyprus-Greek business collaboration.

Additionally, he will visit the Cyprus pavilion and businesses from Cyprus, as well as Greek companies operating in Cyprus. The central focus of these interactions, as emphasised by Iosif, is to advance economic, trade, and business relationships between the two nations.

According to Iosif, the messages received by the association suggest that there will be significant expansions of Cypriot businesses into Greece in the near future, driven in part by the improvement in the Greek economy. He also expects a new, more dynamic form of cooperation between businesses in both countries.

Regarding the sectors that hold potential for collaboration, Iosif mentioned tourism, energy, real estate, commerce, services, shipping, technology and innovation, food and beverages, and agri-food products.

He also discussed the possibility of organising joint trade exhibitions in Cyprus and Greece, as well as conferences. Additionally, he highlighted the association’s proposal for joint packages in tourism and investment.

Furthermore, Iosif emphasised the numerous comparative advantages shared by Cyprus and Greece, stressing the importance of focusing on digital transformation and further leveraging modern technology, innovation, and research.

Despite the uncertain international economic environment, Iosif believes that new opportunities for business cooperation between Cyprus and Greece are emerging. “Even in this fluid economic landscape, there is increased interest from businesses in both countries, either for collaborations or expansion from one country to the other,” he underscored.

Iosif also asserted that the current economic and business landscape offers fresh possibilities for enhancing Cyprus-Greece economic relations.

“We will continue to identify opportunities for businesses from both countries to collaborate, focusing on our neighbouring regions,” he noted.

When asked about what other initiatives he believes should be undertaken to bring the two countries even closer, Iosif told the agency that “in addition to the well-known maritime connection, where our association has taken the lead, we have proposed to the two governments to collaborate more closely in the fields of tourism and investments”.

Regarding tourism, Iosif mentioned that the association proposed that both countries offer joint vacation packages for tourists from distant countries such as the United States, China, Japan, and others.

“Suggesting to these tourists to spend, for example, 10 days in Greece and 5 days in Cyprus would make it easier to convince them to make the long journey from their countries, as they would visit two countries,” he explained.

“Previously, we also presented an action plan for this idea, which included joint information campaigns, joint missions to these countries, and other measures that would reduce the promotional costs that each country currently bears on its own,” he added.

He also mentioned that in this scenario, day trips to Israel, Lebanon, and other destinations could be added.