Greek ambassador in town talking economics, connections to Philadelphia (Video)
Christos P. Panagopoulos, ambassador of Greece.
After experiencing a six-year recession as a result of the global financial crisis[5], the Greek economy has finally reached a turning point, eventually making its return to the bond market in April[6].
And, in an effort to further increase its growth and its relationship with the U.S., Christos P. Panagopoulos[7], ambassador of Greece to the U.S., stopped by Philadelphia on Wednesday to meet with Mayor Michael Nutter[8] before throwing out the first pitch at the Phillies Greek Heritage Night.
I sat down with Panagopoulos to chat about Greece’s current economic state, its relationship with Philadelphia and what sectors he finds most attractive in the city. He also mentioned the origin of Philadelphia’s name and the growing popularity of Greek yogurt.
What is Greece’s current economic state?
You can imagine the difficulties my people went through, and slowly but steadily we’re getting out of this by reforming our country; making our public sector more lean; making our state more attractive to foreign investment; and emphasizing our advantages in the economic growth.
We occupy one of the most strategic locations in a very turbulent area. And, at the same time, we provide reassurance and security of being part of the euro group with the euro currency, which, despite the crisis, remains one of the strongest currencies globally.
Does Greece’s economic state have an effect on Philadelphia?
Well, as a whole, I would say Greece – belonging to the euro currency group – has a stake for the whole of the U.S. No matter how big or small it is, the stability of the euro is important for the global economic stability.
Francis Hilario covers hospitality, restaurants and takes on general assignments and breaking news.
References
- ^ Francis Hilario (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com)
- ^ Twitter (twitter.com)
- ^ global financial crisis (www.investingreece.gov.gr)
- ^ April (www.nytimes.com)
- ^ Christos P. Panagopoulos (feeds.bizjournals.com)
- ^ Michael Nutter (feeds.bizjournals.com)