The structure of bilateral trade between Romania and Greece highlights a balanced exchange of products with significant added value, said Iuliu Stocklosa, president of the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIB), on Monday at the event 'Strategic Regional Cooperation in South-Eastern Europe'.

'The structure of bilateral trade highlights a balanced exchange of products with significant added value. Romania's exports to Greece are dominated by machinery, electrical equipment and appliances, alongside agri-food products and livestock, while imports from Greece mainly consist of base metals, mineral fuels and chemical industry products. This sectoral complementarity provides a solid basis for expanding economic cooperation and identifying new partnership opportunities between companies in the two countries,' Iuliu Stocklosa said.

According to him, Greece has for many years been one of the preferred destinations for Romanian tourists, attracting an impressive number of visitors from Romania each year, 'fascinated by its cultural heritage, spectacular coastline and Greek hospitality'.

'We would like this openness to be increasingly harnessed in the opposite direction as well, so that Romania can also attract a growing number of Greek tourists. Our country offers remarkable tourist destinations, such as the Danube Delta, unique in Europe, as well as mountain resorts appreciated both during the summer and winter seasons, including for winter sports,' the CCIB president stated.

He believes that the bilateral Romanian-Greek forum, which began on Monday, naturally continues the dialogue initiated in February, when the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted a delegation from Imathia Province led by the province's deputy governor, together with representatives of the Greek business community from various sectors.

In a brief presentation, Iuliu Stocklosa noted that Bucharest, the third-largest city in the region after Istanbul and Athens, accounts for more than 26.4% of Romania's foreign trade, over 19% of total exports, 32% of imports carried out nationwide, 44% of all companies with foreign capital registered in Romania, 53% of subscribed foreign capital and 25.5% of GDP.

'Our Chamber, the largest in Romania, has operated continuously for 158 years since its establishment in 1868. Benefiting from a solid tradition in representing the business community and building partnerships with public authorities, the CCIB also enjoys extensive international recognition, reflected in more than 150 cooperation agreements concluded with similar organisations worldwide. In support of the internationalisation of Romanian companies, last year we opened four CCIB representative offices in Brussels, London, Chicago and Calgary, and this year we will inaugurate new offices in Sri Lanka, India and China,' Iuliu Stocklosa added.

The Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry, together with the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in Bucharest and institutional partners from both countries, is organising a major event on Monday and Tuesday dedicated to economic and regional cooperation between Greece and Romania under the title 'Strategic Regional Cooperation in South-Eastern Europe'.

The event is attended by representatives of regional authorities and administrations, chambers of commerce, business organisations, universities and research institutions, as well as Greek and Romanian companies.

The Greek delegation is headed by Konstantinos Gkioulekas, Deputy Minister of the Interior for the regions of Macedonia and Thrace.

According to the organisers, the Greek companies represented operate in sectors including property and construction, wood processing, metal structures, furniture, technology and IT, medical products, services and the food industry. AGERPRES(RO - writing by: Cristian Anghelache; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)