“Greece’s collaboration with the US is consistent and constitutes another testament to our shared dedication to finding solutions for the environment,” noted George J. Tsunis, the US Ambassador to Athens, in a greeting delivered at the opening of Our Ocean Film Festival at the Athens Concert Hall, coinciding with the 9th Our Ocean Conference hosted by Greece.

The US ambassador noted that both the conference and the film festival will create the conditions for “timely solution-oriented discussions that will shape the future,” while praising the cooperation between Greece and the US to make it a reality.

He expressed that “all nations participating in this global conference are promoting initiatives and policies to combat the climate crisis,” emphasising the need to continue the work to protect cultural and natural heritage, to ensure sustainable fisheries, and to enforce scientific and technological collaborations.

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“All countries seem to agree that there is a crisis and that the work is important for a sustainable, rich, and lasting future, and yet we are not doing enough,” he stressed, urging everyone to do even more. He further noted that the documentaries taking part in the festival include innovative solutions from which we can learn, inviting audiences to delve into the richness of the oceans and coastal communities.

“Over the next two days, I hope that not only will we enjoy these cinematic journey, but through the magic of cinema we will be able to highlight this important message which is to fuel our current actions and chart a systemic path forward for ocean conservation,” he stated.

“I know that all of you have a dream: we dream and work for the day when we will no longer need to meet to discuss the challenges facing the Earth,” the US Ambassador  expressed, and continued by stating, “unfortunately, that day is not today,” he added, but “we all hope that we will leave the world better than what we found it., we are participating in this effort, so that one day we will come to Greece to celebrate a mission accomplished. I hope that day will come soon.”