Michael Christides

Ambassador (a.h.) Michael B. CHRISTIDES Ambassador (a.h.) Michael B. Christides joined the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1976 as first in his Class and served with distinction until his retirement in August 2014. Among other assignments he served as Ambassador of Greece to Bulgaria, to Turkey and to Argentina and held senior posts in the Hellenic MFA as Political Director for South East Europe, as Director General for International Organizations and as Director General for International Economic Relations. Ambassador Christides participated in many international meetings and spent more than 20 years dealing with S.E. European issues, while travelling extensively in the region. He acquired a broad knowledge of the political and economic realities there and established a wide personal network of high-level political, business, academic and media contacts. After his retirement Ambassador Christides was elected Secretary General of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), assuming his duties on 1 July 2015. He was unanimously reappointed for a second three year term-in-office, which ended on 30 June 2021. It is widely acknowledged that under his guidance the BSEC Organization matured into a trustworthy partner and interlocutor on the international scene, becoming the cardinal point of reference in the wider Black Sea area in what concerns regional cooperation and dialogue. As of November 2021 Ambassador Christides is a member of the Advisory Board of the Thessaloniki Innovation & Technology Center (Thess-INTEC), responsible for International relations. He is also co-chairing the Executive Committee of the Balkans & Black Sea Forum (BBSF).