During his opening address at the “East Macedonia & Thrace Forum II” in Alexandroupoli, which kicked off the event, on Thursday, the CEO of Alter Ego Media SA, Ioannis Vrentzos underlined that the goal of the conference was to act as a catalyst of change in the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace.

The two-day top conference is organized by the City Hub Events of the Alter Ego group and takes place today, March 13, and tomorrow, March 14, in Alexandroupoli, Thrace.

According to Mr. Vrentzos: “the goal of the conference is to demonstrate how feasible it is to transform Eastern Macedonia and Thrace into an energy hub, benefiting the wider region, neighboring countries, and Greece as a whole. This goal for the Alter Ego Media Group does not constitute an unattainable ambition but a feasible plan.”

“Through this conference, a dialogue channel is opened with the local communities and the region at large, a region that has much to offer across multiple levels. This has been evident through the City Hub, Alter Ego’s platform, which within less than a year of its existence has managed to capture every initiative of local governments,” he stressed.

The choice of Alexandroupoli was not by chance, according to Mr. Vrentzos. “Once, we would simply say that it [Thrace] is ‘remote’. Alter Ego’s deep conviction is that such characterizations belong to the past. Today, it is a center that can transform the future and become the driving force of development for the wider region.”

Referring to the East Macedonia & Thrace Forum II, Mr. Vrentzos emphasized that “this second forum is not only a continuation of the first but is now committed to the idea that a vision – that of promoting and reinforcing Eastern Macedonia and Thrace – can be realized.”

The CEO of Alter Ego Media thanked the students from schools who attended the event at the Ramada Plaza Thraki, who participated in the initiative of the newspaper ‘TO VIMA tis Kyriakis’ by creating and publishing student newspapers from all over Greece. It is worth noting that this initiative was distinguished for its overall contribution to education at the Educational Leaders Awards 2023.

Similarly, Symeon Tsomokos, the Founder and President of Delphi Economic Forum, announced the commitment of the Delphi Economic Forum to a series of events in various parts of the country in collaboration with the Alter Ego Media City Hub, heralding the start of the forum’s proceedings.

“The City Hub highlights critical and substantial development issues for the wider region. Together, we will launch a series of events in various parts of the country aimed at strengthening regional development,” Mr. Tsomokos emphasized.

“We must understand today more than ever that Greece is not just Athens but the entire region that needs to be strengthened, constituting the social fabric of the country,” he noted.

Politicians, top academics and intellectuals from Greece and abroad, and representatives of major companies operating or wishing to operate in the region taking part in the East Macedonia & Thrace Forum II, include George Gerapetritis, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, Minister of National Defense, Christos Staikouras, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Theodoros Skylakakis, Minister of Environment and Energy, Kostas Skrekas, Minister of Development and Investments, Dimitris Kairidis, Minister of Migration and Asylum, Sofia Zacharaki, Minister of Social Cohesion and Family Affairs, Lefteris Avgenakis, Minister of Rural Development and Food, as well as Deputy Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Christos Triantopoulos, and Sofia Voultepsi, Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum.

Among the speakers at the Forum are also: George Tsunis, Ambassador of the USA to Greece, Andrei Popov, Ambassador of Moldova to Greece, Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, George Pitsilis, Head of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Panagiotis Stampoulidis, Executive Director at the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), Ioannis Zaboukis, Mayor of Alexandroupoli, Loukia Saranti, President of the Federation of Industries of Greece, Konstantinos Hatzikonstantinou, CEO, Port Authority of Alexandroupoli SA.