Mr. Deputy Minister, Dear Secretaries General, Excellencies, dear friends,
Today marks a very important moment for our Ministry. We are presenting a major new project: the “Global Media Center” platform. This constitutes another decisive step in the digital upgrading of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, more broadly, of the Hellenic Republic.
I would particularly like to thank the Ministry of Digital Governance, the Information Society S.A., and the Special Coordination Service for Recovery and Resilience Facility, within the framework of which the Global Media Center project is implemented. I also wish to express my appreciation to our coordination team here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose exceptional dedication and effectiveness led us to the point where we can present this important project, which will enter into full operation on April 1.
We also extend our thanks to the contractor for the diligent work carried out during this period, enabling us today to affirm this significant upgrade.
This project forms part of the broader digital transformation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, financed through the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0.” It represents our response to contemporary challenges, in which information flows freely but not always reliably.
Disinformation truly constitutes a substantial threat not only to social cohesion but to democracy itself. It distorts genuine and authentic information and, in doing so, may ultimately undermine citizens’ decision-making. This rapid dissemination of information, which stems from the very significant technological leap that has been achieved, does not come without consequences.
Through the new Global Media Center, we will be able to conduct comprehensive digital media monitoring of international news coverage, perform targeted content searches, systematically map and classify information sources - whether reliable or not - and manage and analyze current affairs in real time across the full media spectrum, including digital and print outlets.
In essence, this is a modern tool that will provide real-time access to information concerning Greece and, of course, the European Union, our broader institutional family. These processes are supported by advanced technical analysis and artificial intelligence-driven algorithms, another tool deployed to address complex digital challenges in support of citizens and democracies. At the same time, the boundaries and ethical parameters governing the use of artificial intelligence are matters that require everyone’s attention.
The advanced technological infrastructure supporting our global platform has already been installed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It includes a state-of-the-art data center located within the Ministry, which will function as a central information hub. The management and operation of this system will be undertaken by the Ministry’s own qualified personnel. I am particularly pleased that our capable staff will assume responsibility, on behalf of the Hellenic Republic, for this important task: aggregating, verifying, analyzing and, where necessary, responding to information that may be harmful to our country or constitute manipulation, distortion, or disinformation.
Mr. Deputy Minister, Madam Secretary General, the Global Media Center is, of course, a highly advanced instrument of public diplomacy. And this is because, in reality, public diplomacy, the way in which the image and representation of a country are expressed in the world, has now become an extremely complex task, which requires a great deal of knowledge and skill, but also highly analytical information. And the gathering of accurate information is a task that will become much easier through the new Global Media Center.
In this way, we will be able to identify incorrect information, whether it is disseminated intentionally or unintentionally, to promote positive news that concerns Greece and Europe, so that the image of our country and that of Europe are promoted to the world truthfully, as it should be, and, of course, to evaluate our own policies and strategies in terms of the branding of our country.
It is very important that the Global Media Center, in fact, will also function as a self-correcting mechanism so that we can improve both our tools and our policies in terms of the communication of the Hellenic Republic, to the world. Many times, self-evaluation is the best way to be able to achieve a substantial upgrade of our policies and to reach a much more productive process in our communication.
Of course, the challenges that the new global platform will have to manage are extremely significant, due to the current situation. Greece is currently at the center of major developments, already serving as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council, at a time when the international security architecture is under significant pressure and, in some cases, even ruptures. And, of course, in view of Greece’s assumption of the Presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2027, it is necessary to project a strong presence, but, above all, a valid and credible presence on a global scale, above all to have control over the real flow of information in order to be able to co-shape global politics.
We will not stop here, as you can imagine. As stated by the Ambassador, it is one of the sub-projects of the digital transformation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The upgrading of digital infrastructure will continue. There will also be new tools in the coming period, which will constantly modernize and upgrade both the global platform, but also all the digital capabilities provided by modern technology to the bodies exercising public authority. The need for the system which addresses disinformation, to be more dynamic and less static, always constitutes a great challenge. And this is because, as we can all understand, the threat of disinformation, the hybrid threat, which can be directed against people, against communities, against states, is constantly being upgraded itself. Therefore, what concerns us, on the one hand, is to make the system fully operational from April 1. On the other hand, we must continuously upgrade it so that it remains at the cutting edge of technology and can respond effectively to emerging disinformation.
The management of the digital tools project team within our Ministry is undertaken by the Press and Media Department, in coordination with the E Directorate General for Public Diplomacy. It is a pioneering tool, that fills us with pride and gratification.
Of course, it also poses for us the great challenge of managing these new tools and, I think, highlights the need for continuous, training of all our staff of digital systems. It is the objective of the political leadership, as well as the administrative leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ensure that our staff remain constantly informed and properly trained - not only to operate the new digital systems effectively, but also to flag and address emerging challenges with immediacy.
For all these reasons, today, with particular pleasure and honour, I present to you the new Global Media Center platform and I hope that this will also constitute a new starting point for much greater achievements of Greek and European diplomacy.
Thank you very much.
February 13, 2026