As a result of its geographic location, Greece’s own security and welfare is closely linked to stability and economic prosperity in developing and transition countries in the Balkans, the Black Sea area and the eastern Mediterranean. As a developed and stable country in these complicated multicultural regions, Greece responds to development challenges in its neighbourhood. Greece also perceives it has a significant comparative advantage here, due to shared history and cultural interaction, a high degree of mutual understanding, good political and trade linkages and its own recent development experience. Encouraging democratic practices and sustainable economic development in surrounding regions is consequently in Greece’s national interest and the main strategic orientation of the official Greek aid programme. Greece provides targeted support to regional initiatives consistent with this orientation, such as the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe (a Greek official currently chairs Working Table I on Democratisation and Human Rights). More than four-fifths of Greece’s bilateral official development assistance (ODA) is provided to developing countries in south-eastern Europe...