Ministry for Macedonia–Thrace and Northern Greece regions turn their focus to the Balkans
A coordinated effort between the Ministry of the Interior (Macedonia–Thrace) and the three Regional Governors of Macedonia and Thrace aims to promote development and strengthen the presence of Northern Greece across the Balkans.
A meeting was convened on Monday afternoon, 17 November 2025, at the Selanik Administration Building by the Deputy Minister of the Interior responsible for Macedonia and Thrace, Konstantinos Gkioulekas, with the participation of the Regional Governor of Western Macedonia Giorgos Amanatidis, the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia Athina Aidona, and the Regional Governor of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Christodoulos Topsidis.
The first objective is to strengthen interregional cooperation and more thoroughly examine both the challenges and potential of Macedonia and Thrace. This will be achieved through joint visits to each of the 16 regional units of the broader area.
The second objective is the development of coordinated outreach to Balkan countries, with the goal of establishing partnerships and synergies with neighboring states. The first destination of this Balkan outreach initiative will be Sofia, followed by Belgrade, Bucharest, and other major cities in the region. The delegation—led by the Deputy Minister—will include the three Regional Governors, representatives from the five regional universities, and members of the business community, who will meet with their respective counterparts in each country.
Western Macedonia’s Regional Governor Giorgos Amanatidis emphasized that Macedonia and Thrace should be viewed as a single development space and that the “Northern Greece product” must be promoted collectively.
Central Macedonia’s Regional Governor Athina Aidona highlighted the excellent cooperation with the Ministry and fellow governors and underlined the importance of strengthening entrepreneurship in the Balkans, along with addressing local challenges within each regional unit through on-site visits.
Eastern Macedonia–Thrace Regional Governor Christodoulos Topsidis stressed the importance of unifying strengths and best practices from all three regions and expanding extroversion toward Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, and other Balkan areas. He noted that Greece’s borders in the region are also Europe’s borders and that collective planning is essential to showcasing regional advantages and shaping a cohesive development model for Northern Greece—something that, he said, has not been done in such a coordinated manner before.
A similar meeting between the Deputy Minister and the Rectors of the five universities of Macedonia and Thrace is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Wednesday, 19 November.
