Nearly 200,000 people are involved in the cultural sector, or 3% of Greece's labor force, Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said at the National Gallery of Art on Tuesday. 

At an event of PS Value Talks, organized by PostScriptum and under the aegis of the Culture Ministry, Mendoni noted that for every 1 euro invested in the culture sector, the return to the economy 3.44 euros, and for every 1 million euros invested in culture, a corresponding 48.78 full-time jobs are created. "The decisive contribution of culture to national wealth, both independently as well as through synergies and its interactions with other sectors of economic activity, is at this point indisputable," Mendoni stressed.

The event is part of efforts to link regional development and cultural diplomacy, and PS Value Talks  brings together leading experts, policy makers and cultural practitioners to discuss ideas that can be acted upon for both sectors.

The Culture minister said the main tool in achieving this is the 'Cultural Charter for Develoment and Prosperity', which has been drawn up for each of the country's 13 Regions. "It contains small and large-scale projects and actions of a major combined value for both local societies and the entire country," she noted, adding that the ministry is currently funding through NSRF and Recovery Fund as well as national resources over 825 projects budgeted in total at over 1.2 billion euros, throughout Greece and including remote areas.

Speaking of cultural diplomacy, Mendoni described it as a yet another critical pillar of the Culture Ministry's strategy, promoting globally our cultural heritage and contemporary artistic production, creating links and collaborations at global level." It assists tourism and investments, and ultimately, development while boosting Greece's image and influence abroad.