site.btaOver 40 Greek Businesses and Nearly 180 Bulgarian Companies Participate in Bilateral Meeting

Over 40 Greek business representatives and nearly 180 Bulgarian companies are participating in a bilateral meeting between representatives of production and business organizations, ports, local government bodies, universities and enterprises from Bulgaria and Greece, which is being held at the Sofia Balkan Palace Hotel on Monday. According to the President of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Tsvetan Simeonov, the strong presence is a sign that the two countries are moving in the right direction in terms of bilateral cooperation.  

Regarding geopolitical conditions, Simeonov stressed the importance of the commitments to develop logistics along the north-south axis, undertaken within the framework of the Three Seas initiative. He noted that the BCCI supports the initiative and will continue to do so. In addition to the north-south directions, in his opinion, serious development is also needed along the routes that cross the Black Sea, given the expected significant commodity flows to the Far East. 
 
Simeonov also commented on concerns that Bulgarians are acquiring a significant number of properties in Northern Greece. According to him, this is an expression of trust in bilateral relations, since "no one invests where they do not feel safe". He noted that these are often properties that are not in good condition, and Bulgarian investors invest funds to renovate them and use them effectively, which contributes to the development of tourist exchange between the two countries. The BCCI Chairman also pointed out that although Greek direct investments in Bulgaria are not among the largest in terms of volume, they are significant in terms of intention. According to him, over 3,000 Greek companies are registered in Bulgaria, with about 900 of them being BCCI members with 100% Greek capital. This, according to him, is an additional signal of confidence in the Bulgarian economy. 
 
The President of the Bulgarian-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BHCCI), Savvas Karafilidis, announced that a forum will be held in Thessaloniki on March 14 with the participation of representatives of Greek and Bulgarian ports, and extended an invitation to those present. "Ports are the lungs of the Balkans," he said.  Simeonov pointed out that holding the event in Thessaloniki will provide an opportunity to further develop the contacts established during the meeting in Sofia. 

Karafilidis added that from June 1 to 5, BHCCI will be a co-organizer of the "Green Transition Forum" in Sofia, which will include companies from the private sector of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania.