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 as 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.

According to soft power ratings, Greece ranks hig 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.

Read also via Greek News Agenda: The Strategic Plan 2024-2027 for Greeks Abroad; 1st Greek Youth Diaspora Symposium: A Platform for Dialogue on Culture, Education, Innovation, and Contemporary Challenges

The post Interview with Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy Maira Myrogianni appeared first on Greek News Agenda.

Ino Afentouli is the Executive Director of the Institute of International Relations (IDIS), a research institute affiliated to the Department of International and European Studies at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences. During 2002-2022, she served as Program Manager at NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division. Prior to joining NATO, she was a journalist specialized in foreign and European affairs and she worked for many Greek media outlets, as well as for the Greek edition of Economist Intelligence Unit.

For her work, she was awarded with the Calligas prize attributed by the European Journalists Association. She is a founding member of the Israeli-Hellenic Forum and the Greek-Turkish Forum, and the author of three books and numerous articles. Her latest publication is a monograph titled Public Diplomacy (2023, in Greek).

Ino Afentouli spoke to Greek News Agenda* and French publication Grèce Hebdo* on public diplomacy in a multi-polar world; technology and social media as vital tools for an effective public diplomacy; how the Greek Diaspora can be Greek public diplomacy´s “superweapon”; culture as suitable vehicle for projecting soft power, the need for Greece to promote its modern face and creators, and finally, the elements that constitute Greece’s positive international image and the importance of pairing that image with a methodical and long-term communication strategic plan.

From your experience as a Program Manager at NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, how do you think the increasing multi-polarity of the international system and the decline of multi-lateralism is affecting international organizations? Can they practice effective public diplomacy under these circumstances?

International organizations – the United Nations, NATO, the EU, but also smaller ones such as OSCE, OECD and ASEAN, consist of many member states and operate in a multinational environment. Pluralism is nothing new in their structure and operation; therefore, the exercise of public diplomacy for them has always had – in terms of its design and implementation – a background of multilateralism. The international environment was never monophonic. For example, during the Cold War, there were two dominant blocs and each exerted influence on the international environment according to its capabilities. In the post-Cold War era, the international scene acquired more players, and a corresponding communication activity.

Perhaps, the most significant difference in comparison to the immediate past, is that today, we once again have strong players on the international stage, such as the US and China, trying to exert influence from an almost equal footing. US dominance in communication was a given for many decades, not only because US foreign policy placed great importance on public diplomacy, but also because the “American way of life” was exportable and attractive to millions of people outside the US. And it still is. China is trying to put forward an alternative model but it is not comparable.

As far as multilateral organizations are concerned, their communication efforts have always served the political priorities set by their members. The implementation of communication strategies with the means they have at their disposal is the responsibility of their respective divisions. It is indeed more complicated to exercise public diplomacy today, not so much because of the proliferation of protagonists in the international scene, but mainly because of the communication environment that social media predominance has created. There are many players on the international stage and often, institutional discourse is seen as "wooden," rigid and unsuitable for the social media environment. International organizations are therefore forced to adapt and use social media for their communication, as well as engage with the protagonists of social media, i.e. influencers.

One of One of the five core foreign policy goals of the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is "the promotion and advancement of Greece’s foreign policy positions and the country’s global image" a phrasing that refers to public diplomacy. What do you think are the next steps that should be taken in order for the country to fully develop the tool of public diplomacy?

The fact that Greek diplomacy is putting emphasis on public diplomacy as well is very positive. For Greece, the projection of soft power should be a key dimension of its foreign policy; Greece is a peaceful country, committed to the principles of international law and without revisionist tendencies compared to countries in the region. Moreover, the country possesses strong and unique features that are recognized worldwide. When I say features, I am referring to Greek culture, history, the connection of Western civilization with Greek antiquity, but also the country’s natural beauty. Greece has primarily a positive imprint on the world map. However, if it is not combined with a methodical and long-term strategic communication, this image alone is not enough for the country to defend its points of view in international audiences and especially to convince of their validity.

It is important that Greece projects a positive image to its millions of visitors, as well as to the much larger number of potential visitors, through communication actions related to tourism. But this positive image, which can also be conveyed through the visitors' social media photos and videos, does not automatically translate to support for issues that are significant to Greece in terms of international relations. In order to build this kind of support, Greek diplomacy should develop a very systematic effort to reach international audiences, both through the traditional means of public diplomacy, as well as through modern technology.

For such an effort to be successful, its main axes should be in harmony with the national strategy and its priorities. The government officers, who will be called upon to develop it, should also know which audiences they are addressing. It is not an effort, I have to underline, that concerns only the personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; it also concerns other ministries and organizations, of both the public and private sectors; often very successful examples of public diplomacy are the result of actions of Non-Governmental Organizations.

Some people, especially in Greece, conflate public diplomacy with cultural diplomacy. Do you agree with this perception, or do you think there are other, equally important, aspects of public diplomacy that need to be promoted.

Cultural diplomacy is a part of public diplomacy and must be in sync with the priorities of a national strategy as it is defined by each government. In the case of Greece, cultural diplomacy can be an extremely effective public diplomacy tool, as it is a very suitable vehicle for projecting soft power. Especially for Greece, with its cultural heritage, cultural diplomacy can act as a means of maximizing acceptance by international audiences.

However, we should point out that cultural heritage should be promoted via contemporary means. Antiquity is a very powerful cultural product, but Greece should also project its modern face, its creators in all fields - literature, theater, music, cinema, etc. Cultural diplomacy is demanding and expensive, it requires resources – however if they correctly utilized, they can pay off many times over. In this area, the partnership between the public and private sectors is absolutely necessary.

What role can the Greek Diaspora, especially the ‘new Greek Diaspora’, i.e. Greeks that left the country after 2009, play in bolstering Greek culture and values?

The Greek Diaspora, given its extent, in terms of population size as well as of geographical diffusion, should emerge as a sort of super weapon for Greek public diplomacy. To achieve this, it should be valorized as a huge global network that will act autonomously but in sync with the goals of Greek foreign policy. The Greek authorities abroad should have a leading role in supplying organizations, networks and Diaspora communities with material suitable for dissemination. The mobilization of the Diaspora around specific goals and with specific tools will bear fruit if it is attuned to the aspirations of the Greek state. Technology today offers highly effective communication and interconnection capabilities that facilitate coordination and decentralization. We need to approach the younger generations and convince them to mobilize for Greece through their social and professional networks, which are not exclusively Greek.

Recently, steps have been taken towards the normalization of Greek-Turkish relations, as part of a coordinated effort to resolve the differences between the two countries. What might be the role of public diplomacy in this endeavor?

The current détente in Greek-Turkish relations facilitates communication between the civil societies of the two nations, which we should emphasize, has never ceased to exist. Regardless of our differences, the two peoples have much in common due to their history and geography. They are emotional, they are Mediterranean, and they live in a natural environment with many similarities. If closer contacts develop between groups of people with common interests, such as the academic community, journalists, entrepreneurs and other professional groups, the approach and exchange of views will be reflected at the political level as well. The civil society dimension of the political dialogue should be taken seriously into account.

What do you think is the international image of Greece today, that the economic crisis is now definitively behind us? What are our strengths and in which areas do you believe there is room for improvement?

Greece's image has been restored thanks to the country's return to normality, the good rate of growth and the huge influx of tourists. It is a country with an overall positive international image, and it is considered a reliable partner of the Western community as a member of NATO and the EU. Greece’s support for Ukraine has also helped its international standing by dispelling any doubt about its Western orientation. However, in order to have depth and duration, the international image of Greece must be cultivated systematically and over a long-term horizon. Nothing should be left to chance. It is necessary to organize Greek public diplomacy based on modern means, along with a coherent strategy and the utilization of the states’ human resources, so that what is now a raw material – our good international image – acquires depth and duration.

 * Interview to: Ioulia Livaditi (Greek News Agenda) and Ioulia Elmatzoglou (Grèce Hebdo)

** Translation from Greek to English: Ioulia Livaditi

The post Ino Afentouli on Greek Public Diplomacy appeared first on Greek News Agenda.