Interview with Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy Maira Myrogianni

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Maira Myrogianni is Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs since August 2024; she has previously served as Secretary General for International Economic Affairs at the Ministry, from July 2023 until July 2024.

She is a graduate of the School of Law of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and of the Faculty of Law of the University of Lille II in France. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Social Discrimination, Immigration and Citizenship, while being a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Peloponnese. Her scientific interest is focused on the fields of Human Rights and European Law. She is an Expert on Immigration and Asylum Issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Maira Myrogianni has a wide and diverse experience in public administration, having served for several years as a legal advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, the Ministry of Culture & Sports, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs in the realms of International Relations, as well as the cooperation with the European Institutions and other International Organizations.

In her interview, Secretary General Myrogianni talks about the role of public diplomacy in promoting the country’s image globally, Greece’s comparative advantages , the importance of fostering links with the Greek Diaspora and the government’s initiatives in this regard, part of the Strategic Plan 2024-2027.

What is your strategic vision for Public Diplomacy? How can public diplomacy contribute to the goals of Greek foreign policy?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has drawn up the Strategic Plan 2024-2027, emphasising on relations with Greek Diaspora and Public Diplomacy policies. Central pillars of the Strategic Plan concern foreign policy priorities as well as Greece’s international image. Always in line with the Ministry’s guidelines under the coordination of Minister Mr. Gerapetritis and in cooperation with Deputy Minister Mr. Loverdos, we have set as our top priorities the reinforcement of Public Diplomacy and the enhancement of our country’s assets and competitive advantages.

These include our language and culture under a universal dimension, in the light of our cultural heritage and contemporary cultural production, the promotion of Greek studies, and of educational and scientific exchanges. Our priority is to showcase the country’s innovation, reforms, investment opportunities, green initiatives and actions to tackle climate change, as well as to promote Greece as an energy hub and highlight its role as stability pillar in the Eastern Mediterranean and South-Eastern Europe.

We will soon be presenting the Strategic Plan for Public Diplomacy, aiming at highlighting the country’s comparative advantages, with an emphasis on the use of digital tools. One of the key objectives is to implement a new strategy for rebranding the country, based on Greece’s traditionally strong cultural capital and promoting intercultural dialogue.

What role do Diaspora Greeks play in enhancing Greece’s international image, and what initiatives have you taken in this regard?

Greeks abroad are invaluable in promoting our country’s image internationally. Millions of Greeks around the world keep our traditions, language, and culture alive, acting as bridges between their host countries and Greece acting as ambassadors of our culture, language, and customs worldwide. This unique relationship gives us the opportunity to strengthen our international relations, especially with younger generations, while preserving the language as a cohesive element of national identity is a huge challenge.

Strengthening the ties between expatriate Greeks worldwide and our country is a key pillar of the Greek government’s foreign policy. Our primary goal is to further interconnect members of the Greek Diaspora by encouraging scientific, academic, business, artistic, cultural and youth networks.

In this framework, the Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis presented the Strategic Plan 2024-2027 for Greeks Abroad in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. This is the first time that a comprehensive and coherent Plan for Greeks abroad has been drawn up, considering factors such as the diverse characteristics of each expatriate group and their contemporary needs.

Among other things, the Plan involves supporting and developing expatriate networks and bodies, fostering links between the Greek innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem with corresponding expatriate networks, particularly encouraging and facilitating the new generation of Diaspora Greeks.

Two characteristic examples of strengthening ties with the Greek Diaspora include, on the one hand, the launch of the Greek Youth Diaspora Symposium, held for the first time in November 2024 in Athens along with the Youth Diaspora Ambassadors initiative, and on the other hand the introduction of annual programs for the hosting of Diaspora youths in Greece.

You have undertaken a series of initiatives to promote Greece on a global scale. Could you tell us more about some of them?

Among our initiatives, I would like to mention hosting of this year’s Club of Venice Plenary Meeting in Athens on May 21-22. This is a European network of senior government communication professionals where more than 30 countries are represented at the highest level, including the member states of the European Union, candidate countries, the United Kingdom, the institutions of the European Union, the Council of Europe, and other relevant bodies. The Plenary Meeting was hosted in our country as part of a broader effort to highlight Public Diplomacy issues through targeted conferences, seminars, and workshops.

Furthermore, it is our core policy to support the teaching of the Greek language, history and culture in schools and universities abroad, where Greek Studies departments exist. In this context, last year we took the decision to support 43 Greek Studies departments, and this year we are proud to announce that we will do the same for over 80 departments. At the same time, we seek to support and develop collaborations between Greek and foreign universities and to promote English-language courses offered by Greek universities.

To this end, plans are underway towards networking and interconnecting University Chairs with relevant organizations in Greece, developing exchange and hosting programs for students, researchers, and educators, supplying books and educational materials, and utilizing digital tools for distance learning.

Within this framework, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Study in Greece organization, which will provide opportunities for new collaborations in the academic world. In the same vein, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed a Protocol of Cooperation with the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. In particular, the Protocol provides for the promotion of programs and actions for the learning of the Greek language, history, and culture among Greeks of the Diaspora and philhellenes, while also encouraging synergies in the field of Greek Studies through the interconnection of the University of Athens with Greek Studies departments and centers abroad.

At the same time, we work closely with the University of Western Macedonia (UWM), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Columbia University and Columbia Global Center in Athens, and the University of Ioannina.

In the same context, we awarded scholarships to foreigners and Diaspora Greeks who wish to study at Greek universities during the academic year 2025-2026, with the aim of obtaining a higher education degree. Through the program, 50 scholarships were awarded to people from a total of 34 countries, creating an international network of young scholars who acquaint themselves with the Greek language and culture, becoming potential “ambassadors”.

What is the added value that culture brings to a country’s “soft power”?

Culture is one of the main pillars of a country’s “soft power.” Greece, a country with a rich cultural heritage, draws on its culture, arts, language, music, cinema, and other forms of cultural expression to enhance its international profile and influence.

Soft power indicators rank Greece high among the most powerful countries. Greece’s soft power stems from a combination of historical and contemporary achievements. Our country has a rich cultural capital, the result of its long history and cultural heritage, which, combined with its strategic geographical position and other factors, such as its leading position in shipping, strengthens its overall influence and potential at a global level.

Greek culture, in particular, is our great competitive advantage. Cultural diplomacy is a powerful tool that allows us to disseminate our universal values to an international audience. Τhe Ministry’s annual Action Plan, coordinated by Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and in collaboration with Deputy Minister Ioannis Loverdos, provides for targeted cultural diplomacy actions, which we are implementing in cooperation with the Public Diplomacy Offices of our Authorities abroad, namely cultural events, participation in exhibitions, support for Greek festivals. Our strategy also includes initiatives that fall under the other pillars of Public Diplomacy, such as the promotion of Greek language, cooperation in the field of education, and sports.

More specifically, we support initiatives and collaborations relevant to cultural expression that enhance the visibility of traditional art forms: from organizing Greek traditional art fairs to supporting traditional music, dance shows and dance teaching programs, in partnership with cultural institutions and universities. In addition, we intend to promote folk art and traditional crafts, workshops dedicated to the arts of weaving, embroidery, ceramics, and jewelry making, aiming at emphasizing the osmosis between contemporary and traditional culture as well as artistic interactions.

We are also pursuing initiatives for highlighting contemporary cultural and artistic expression; this involves implementing a strategy for books as cultural assets and bridges of communication, by promoting Greek literature and publications as well as supporting libraries abroad and book fairs; and also, planning actions to highlight Greek film production, in collaboration with relevant bodies in the context of festivals or weeks of international European or Greek cinema. In this way, we aim to build bridges of cooperation between Greek and foreign creators and cultural institutions in the fields of literature, theater, and cinema, as well as to establish institutional partnerships with museums and cultural institutions.

TAGS: DIASPORA | PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

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