PARIS – “Our answer to a worsening and uncertain European and global environment must be an all-around strengthening of our cooperation towards a common course to the benefit of Greece, France and Europe,” Greek Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said on Tuesday, addressing the Business-Investment Forum “Greece – France Cooperation 2.0: Investing in the future” held in Paris.

Presenting the state of bilateral relations, the Greek FinMin noted that Greece and France were linked with deep, long-term, multi-layer, friendly, historic, cultural, economic, diplomatic and political ties. “These relations have proven resilient over time. Steadily and through the years, Greece and France stand by each other and this relationship has created a great trust between us,” he noted. Staikouras said the two countries further enhanced their relationship in 2022 through bilateral agreements in economy and defence, such as a revised agreement to avoid double taxation signed in May and an accompanying protocol aimed to boost bilateral cooperation on tax issues.

The Greek finance minister said the world was currently living through a prolonged period of international turbulence, with the biggest energy and inflationary crises of the last decades. “This crisis currently underway is undermining citizens’ incomes, leaving a live footprint on the growth dynamism of all countries, including Greece,” Staikouras said, adding that the Greek economy was showing strong resilience, it has a strong dynamism and a positive outlook. However, he stressed that the current situation was crucial and the challenges ahead were major, complex and lasting. “We fully understand that the wave of price hikes hitting Europe is trimming households’ income and raising the cost for businesses, putting national and family budgets under tremendous