ATHENS – Papastratos, a member of Philip Morris International, has set an ambitious goal of leading one million smokers to abandon smoking in Greece by the end of 2021.

Company executives, addressing a special event at the Stavros Niarchos Culture Center, presented their vision for a world free of cigarette. Christos Charpantidis, chairman and CEO in Papastratos, said: “All together as a society we must achieve the reduction of smokers in the country by one million by the end of 2021.” Acknowledging this was a very ambitious goal, he noted “we know we can do it. During the last three years 300,000 people – former smokers – abandoned cigarettes in Greece, cutting out their use or opting for better alternatives.”

Charpantidis noted that “Papastratos cannot achieve this goal on its own. An open, honest dialogue is needed, and immediate actions. We will begin an information campaign at 20,000 retail points to stop selling nicotine-related products to juveniles and we continue our partnerships with smoke-free iniviatives to put an end to cigarette smoking.” He said that Papastratos will soon bring to the Greek market more products, offering consumers more alternatives, and underlined that “the state and authorities must also help promoting a new regulatory framework, while the medical and scientific society must also study new products.”

President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos, addressing the event, congratulated Papastratos for its initiative and stressed that the Greek state is commited to a smoke-free society.

Health Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Papastratos is compatible with the new era and compatible with the need to serve public health.