The two-day conference, titled “Athens: Dialogues for Policy – Athens Policy Dialogues,” will take place on December 4 and 5 at the King George Hotel. Organized by the Council on International Relations, the Delphi Economic Forum, and the newspaper To Vima, the event aims to address the challenges and opportunities in the region, spanning from the Middle East to maritime trade routes, amidst a period of critical geopolitical realignments.
Leading Figures Address Critical Questions
The conference will feature a distinguished lineup of speakers, including the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos An. Tasoulas, and the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Discussions will also include the Leader of the Official Opposition and President of PASOK-KINAL, Nikos Androulakis, as well as former President of the Hellenic Republic and Academician, Prokopis Pavlopoulos.
International engagement will be bolstered by the participation of Sameh Hassan Shoukry, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt (2014-2024); Amre Moussa, former Secretary-General of the Arab League (2001-2011) and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt (1991-2001); Emile Hokayem, Director of Regional Security and Senior Fellow for Middle East Security at IISS; Volker Perthes, former UN Secretary-General (2021-2023) and Senior Researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP); Grégoire Roos, Director for Europe, Russia and Eurasia at Chatham House; Mustafa Aydın, President of the Turkish Council on International Relations; Galip Dalay, Sr. Consulting Fellow, Turkey Initiative, Middle East & North Africa Program at Chatham House; and Nomi Bar – Yaacov, International Peace Negotiator at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.
Additional Greek dignitaries attending include Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Gerapetritis; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandra Papadopoulou; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Charis Theocharis; Evangelos Venizelos, Professor of Constitutional Law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Law Department and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2013-2015); Dimitris Politis, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Investment Issues; Dora Bakoyannis, New Democracy MP and former Minister of Foreign Affairs (2006-2009); Dimitris Avramopoulos, former EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship (2014-2019); and Tasos Hatzivasileiou, New Democracy MP.
Further anticipated contributions will come from Yiannis Maniatis, MEP and former Minister of Environment, Energy & Climate Change (2009-2015); Thanos Dokos, Secretary General of National Security; Nikos Kotzias, former Minister of Foreign Affairs (2015-2018); and George Lakkotrypis, former Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism of Cyprus (2013-2020).
Prominent Greek figures such as Admiral (ret.) Evangelos Apostolakis, former Minister of National Defense (2019); Gikas Hardouvelis, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Bank; Anna Diamantopoulou, President of the Network; Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos, former Minister of Education (2012-2014) and Director of the “Konstantinos G. Karamanlis” Foundation; Kostis Stambolis, General Director of the Institute of Energy for Southeast Europe (IENE); Yiannis Pretenteris, Publisher of To Vima newspaper; Symeon Tsomokos, President of the Delphi Economic Forum; and Athanasios Platias, President of the Council on International Relations, will also be present.
Lively Dialogue and Key Interventions
The main themes of the conference include the peace plan for Gaza and subsequent steps, the search for a new security architecture in the Middle East following the peace agreement, and the new era ushered in by the Abraham Accords after the Sharm el-Sheikh Summit.
Geopolitical competition in the Eastern Mediterranean will be a central focus, with particular emphasis on the roles of the EU, Russia, China, and the USA, as well as the resolution of the Cyprus issue as a prerequisite for regional stability. Additionally, prospects for the new economic landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean, major challenges for maritime trade routes, and energy cooperation and infrastructure in conjunction with economic networking and geopolitical rivalries will be discussed.
Through their presence, all speakers and participants will contribute to a lively and substantial dialogue on politics, security, and economy in Greece and the Mediterranean, highlighting Athens as a pillar of international political and strategic discussions.
