 Σε κ. Γεν. Μ. Χουλιντζάου. Σε κ. Γεν. Μηχριστές, your excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, I would like to congratulate Mrs. Doreen, Bogdan, Martin for her election as the new secretary general of ITU and Mr. Thomas Lamanouskas as the new deputy secretary general. Congratulations. I would also like to convey my deep appreciation to Mr. Χουλιντζάου for his excellent leadership as secretary general of the two consecutive terms. Last but not least, I would like to transfer the warm greetings of the Greek government to all participants and to take this opportunity to convey my genuine appreciation to the Romanian government for the warm hospitality and the excellent organization of this very important conference that takes place in the beautiful city of Pokarest. It is my great pleasure and privilege to address this policy statement today during the 2022 Plenipotentiary Conference of ITU where very important decisions will be taken that influence the development of ICTs at the global level and contribute to the improvement of the co-prosperity of all humanity. Greece recognizes that universal connectivity and broadband for all will not only catalyze the achievement of all sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations but will also help with an inclusive digital society for sustainable development. The achievement of the STGs is a major part of our national strategy but is also a global common target. Consequently, we greatly appreciate the joint efforts of ITU and member states for bridging the digital divide and for providing guidance to all member states to confront the challenges of promoting universal and affordable broadband for all. In this context, Greece is engaged to improve universal connectivity and sustainable digital transformation. The Greek Ministry of Digital Governance is the competent authority for the digital transformation of our economy which is reflected in our national digital strategy 2020 to 2030, 2025 named as a digital transformation strategy. It describes over 400 specific projects outlining the basic principles, framework, governance model and guiding principles for the digital transformation of the country. It focuses on six strategic axes. Connectivity, digital skills, digital government, digital business, digital innovation and integration of technology in every sector of the economy all developed in 17 areas of our economy as horizontal and vertical interventions. Additionally, the Greek National Coalition for Digital Skills and Jobs that was established in 2018 is a synergy between various entities public or otherwise seeking to promote digital skills in the Greek society focusing in four established target groups education, training, ICT professionals and citizens. During the pandemic, the major policy in Greece that proved to be of high benefit to the citizens was our strategy for a government that removed administrative barriers creating an investment-friendly environment and enhancing digital governance. Moreover, from June 2019 to August 2021 the Four National Action Plan on Open Government was developed in cooperation with civil society organizations having three main strategic objectives. Modernization of the state and public administration Reconnection of citizens with the state and public administration and the coordination of horizontal ICT policy in public administration. Greece also introduced the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Greece 2.0 that includes 160 investments and 68 reforms utilizing investment resources of more than 30 billion euros. That will mobilize a total of 60 billion euros in investments in the country over the next five years. These reforms will affect, apart from the economic activity technologies, attitudes and institutions thus paving the way for transformation that is aligned with the WCS action lines. There is no doubt that the enabling to all of the above is broadband connectivity, a high-quality and secure broadband environment able to support socio-economic development that is affordable to all. In this context, Greece has developed policies and regulations that promote the digital inclusion of people with specific needs Indigenous people, people living in rural areas women, girls, people with disabilities and others. It was a very challenging procedure from my ministry considering Greece's specific geomorphology and homogenous population distribution. Specifically, a series of measures are described in our National Broadband Plan over a period of seven years with a total investment of 2.5 billion euros that includes high broadband connectivity across the country but also 5G and the installation of sub-boarding cables to the Greek islands. The expansion of broadband connectivity is elaborated with large-scale projects that are implemented with public-private partnerships like the 160 million euro rural project that offers broadband connectivity to 5,000 villages and more than 500 households with over 10,000 km of hybrid optic cables installed. Greece is a country of 10 million citizens situated at the southern part of Europe. The strategic geographic positions in the eastern Mediterranean serves as a pathway to three continents, Europe, Africa and Asia that can make Greece a remarkable location to establish a strong international business in the Mediterranean area. Greece is on the top list of ship-owning nations having a fleet value of over 100 billion US dollars with our biggest market share coming from bulk areas and oil tankers. According to 2021, review of maritime transport of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development as of January 1st, 2021, the top three ship-owning countries in terms of both of dead-weight tones and the commercial value of their fleets were Greece, China and Japan. Greece, within the framework of full international guidance, will persistently continue to contribute to the improvement of the co-prosperity of the humankind within and beyond our borders. For this fundamental reason, among others, Greece, as a founding member of ITU and member of the Council of the Three Consecutive Periods is seeking the re-election to the ITU Council in Region B and gates to our commitment to continue to work with all of US delegates towards a common vision. We greatly appreciate your support and your confidence. Thank you very much for your attention.