FedHATTA participated in the business mission to the Greek-Turkish Forum held on 1-2 February 2024 in Istanbul by the Council of Foreign Economic Relations of Turkey (DEIK) and Enterprise Greece, with the participation of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kostas Fragogiannis. FedHATTA was represented by its member Mr. Theodoros Makris.

As part of the Greek-Turkish Forum, which gathered participation by around 70 Greek and 150 Turkish businessmen, B2B business meetings took place, and discussions were held on many issues concerning different business sectors, including tourism.

As a result of the discussions, it was agreed that the platform of the Greek-Turkish Business Council would function as an incubator for further professional relations between the two countries.

Regarding tourism, Mr. Makris had meetings with both members of the Greek side and representatives of the Turkish mission, mainly on the visa issue for Turkish travelers who want to visit Greece, which requires further interpretation and resolution. As emerged from the discussions Mr. Makris had with the Greek Consulate in Istanbul, in 2023 around 1,100 visa applications were received daily.

As this is an important issue for the tourist flows between the two countries, and especially for our country, this discussion will be repeated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by FedHATTA, in order to highlight the important benefits for Greek tourism and the Greek economy once the issue is resolved.