Greek Economy Minister Louka Katseli made presentation of Greek participation in World Expo 2010 in Shanghai on Tuesday here in Athens.

She said that "the Greek participation provides a unique opportunity for Greece to highlight the special features and competitive advantages. This opportunity, Greece treating it as another challenge for achieving the national goal of enhancing the openness and competitiveness, attract investment, promote exports, green growth."

According to the Organization Committee for the Expo under the Greek Economy Ministry, the Greek Pavilion addresses the theme of this year's Expo "Better City, Better Life" through a human- centered approach. A better city for Greece is one which is planned and built around the personality and aspirations of its citizens. It not only exhibits the everyday life but is also reflects an insatiable thirst for living.

The Greek pavilion offers visitors a chance to experience a " slice life" from a Greek POLIS through an exhibition that combines sophisticated visuals with entertaining interactive installations.

The Greek pavilion uniqueness is that condenses 24 hours in the life of a Greek city into the 12 hours that the pavilion will be open to the public. For a duration of 6 months, in all the pavilion's projections, the sun will rise in the sky every morning for the morning visitors and set simultaneously every evening, at exactly the same time as it sets in Shanghai. The show will go on into the night for the night visitors, reproducing a unique 12- hour cycle each day, that will make each visit to the pavilion different and special.

The minister told Xinhua the concept of the Greek Pavilion is based on Greek word POLIS. "We participate in the World Expo in Shanghai with great enthusiasm. The center and focus of the Greek pavilion is POLIS. Polis is an ancient Greek word for "city." Polis services its citizens. In Greek four words set all. POLIS, POLITIS, POLITIKI and POLITISMOS means City, Citizens, Politics and Civilization. In Greek all have the same word Polis," said Katseli.

She said the Greek Pavilion shows that "it is a living city, a city that serves its citizens, a city of ancient Greece, a city of modern Greece and a city of world."

The minister said during the Expo, Greece will held some cultural and economic events there. She wish the visitors to enjoy the sites, agoras, enjoy the open city in Greek way.

"I am confident that the Greek presence at EXPO 2010 will be a good start for introducing appreciable Greece as a tourist destination in China. We have already initiated action to simplify and facilitate the issuance of visas to Chinese citizens," Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Angela Gkerekou said in her speech at the press conference.