ATHENS – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will step up his hunt for foreign investors in London where he will deliver the keynote address at the Greek Investment Conference held by the Athens Stock Exchange and Morgan Stanley and meet business leaders, as well as King Charles.

His drive for more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is paying dividends and helping accelerate a faster recovery during the waning COVID-19 pandemic with expectations the economy will grow 6 percent in 2022.

Government sources not named told the state-run Athens-Macedonia News Agency ANA-MPA that more than 240 investors will take part in the conference and more than 300 meetings have been scheduled by the Greek delegation over two days.

They said that Mitsotakis, who will be accompanied by his Chief Economic Advisor, Alex Patelis, is expected to have contacts with important investors, who have either already placed funds in Greece, or are interested in doing so. The conference gives him a showcase to put the spotlight on Greece as an attractive spot for business after a number of multi-national companies and tech giants are opening branches and creating new hubs.

He will talk, according to his colleagues, about the economic achievements of his government, such as reducing unemployment, increasing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP,) and doubling exports.

He will be introduced to the delegates by the Morgan Stanley International Chief Investment Officer Franck Petitgas, with whom Mitsotakis will exchange views on Greece, the performance of the Greek economy and the reforms, the report said.

Greece is now even more desirable with the end of economic surveillance by the European Union Troika to make sure fiscal targets were met in return for 326 billion euros ($340.72) in international bailouts that ended in August, 2020.

Mitsotakis will also hold a discussion with London School of Economics Hellenic Observatory director and Professor of Modern Greek Studies Kevin Featherstone, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the observatory’s foundation. The event’s title is Greece – the Way Forward.

The conference will be held over two days at Morgan Stanley’s Conference Center in London, in collaboration with Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank.

Its purpose is to support Greek business abroad and highlight investment opportunities in the Greek capital market, and to boost institutional confidence in Greece as its ratings are improving.

It will include individual and group meetings between the largest listed companies and international investment funds, as well as panels, presentations, and networking events, the report added of the trip.

There will be a panel of Greek banks, including Alpha Services and Holdings CEO Vassilios Psaltis, Eurobank CEO Fokion Karavias, National Bank of Greece CEO Paul Mylonas, and Piraeus Financial Holdings CEO Christos Megalou. Coordinated by Nida Iqbal, head of EEMEA Finanials and Fintech at Morgan Stanley.

Greek business leaders will also meet with international fund directors and among the representation are Aegean Airlines, Alpha Bank, Athens Water & Sewage (EYDAP), Autohellas, Cenergy, Ellaktor, Elvalhalcor, Eurobank, GEK Terna, Hellenic Exhanges, Hellenic Petroleum (HELPE), Hellenic Telecommunications Organization (OTE), Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO), Intracom, Intralot, Lamda Development, Motor Oil, Mytilineos Group, National Bank of Greece, OPAP gaming, Piraeus Bank, Public Power Corporation, Sarantis, and Terna Energy.

Also attending are representatives of two unlisted companies, Noval Property (which has issued a corporate bond and plans to register on the Athens Stock Exchange) and PeopleCert, the professional certification company.