By Alexia Sotiriou

Strong messages about Greek business were sent out at the Diamonds of the Greek Economy event, which was organized for the 22nd consecutive year by "Naftemporiki".

The event was addressed by Minister of National Economy and New president of the Eurogroup Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Minister of Development Takis Theodorikakos, and President of SEV Spyros Theodoropoulos.

Addressing representatives of 500 businesses, the new Eurogroup chief stressed the importance of supporting the business community, adding that his election has the characteristics of a bet that must be won.

“Everything that has happened at the European level is a reflection of collective efforts in difficult years, a people that has stood up, the help we have received at the European level, the will to improve ourselves,” he said.

“The era of complacency is over. There is no recognition and complacency together. Recognition is a step towards progress. There are bets that must be won. Citizens and businesses must be supported,” he said.

“These are catalysts of development and our job is to create the appropriate framework. So we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Everything that is happening is moving us in this direction.”

On his part, Minister of Development Takis Theodorikakos praised the contribution of the Naftemporiki institution to the “demonization” of entrepreneurship. He emphasized the importance of leading businesses in a national economy and warned that there is no room for complacency.

“We showcase Greece’s healthiest and fastest-growing businesses”

“Faithful to our annual meeting, we turn the spotlight on the healthiest growing businesses in the country,” the general manager of ‘Naftemporiki’ Spyros Ktenas underlined during his speech at the event.

Ktenas stressed “this is not a random meeting, since we have remained consistent in this specific appointment for 22 years. The diamonds of the Greek economy maintain their shine, showing all of us the direction in which the country should move: on the path of innovation, productive investments, hard work, extroversion and social responsibility. And we all understand that to be included in the list of Naftemporiki Diamonds, it is not something simple. It is the result of innovative ideas and design, resilience to market ups and downs and continuous and hard work over a long period of time.”

“We are particularly happy because today we are meeting with businesses that honor the name of Greece abroad,” noted the general manager of Naftemporiki.

“Naftemporiki, which belongs to the Melisanidis family, is evolving into a diamond in the press, both in terms of credibility and profitable activity. Both in Piraeus, where the newspaper and website are headquartered, and in Nea Ionia, where the Naftemporiki channel – the only financial and business channel in the country – brodcasts, we have a hive of press people who work daily for valid, objective and direct information,” he said.