Abu Dhabi and Athens sign nine cooperation agreements and continue to boost their strategic relations
Abu Dhabi and Athens continue, summit after summit, to consolidate their cooperation and mutual strategic relations. This Monday, on his third consecutive trip to the Arab country - since his ascension to office in 2019 -, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek Prime Minister, was received by Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahayan at the Emirati presidential palace of Qasr Al Watan.
Thus, after a welcome in which the Greek leader was praised with the national anthems of both countries and the firing of artillery, Mitsotakis and Mohamed bin Zayed met to - according to government sources - further strengthen bilateral ties in key sectors, such as new technologies, industry and renewable energies. One of the key points of the meeting was the renewal of the partnership between the Hellenic Development Bank and the investment fund Mubadala Emirates, which is strongly interested in investing in Greece.
"The renewal of the successful partnership and the creation of a joint initiative for the realisation of 4 billion euros worth of investments are of vital importance," the Greek prime minister's office said, referring to a joint investment financing agreement.
The visit follows several weeks of telephone conversations between the two leaders and several cross-trips between representatives of the two countries to boost mutual strategic cooperation agreements and relations.
Moreover, in the context of the energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the two leaders took advantage of the meeting to address the gas problem that Europe is now facing. For this reason, while emphasising the increase in gas exploration on its own national territory. Mitsotakis stated that "Greece can become a key entry point for natural gas to the European Union from the Middle East and the southeast Mediterranean. We would like to explore the possibilities of further strategic cooperation and the involvement of UAE funds in this direction".
Overall, the third Greek-Emirati summit at this level in just over two years resulted in the signing of nine agreements ranging from technology to health and energy, as well as the adoption of a Joint Declaration on the role of the two countries in maintaining regional peace and stability supported on the basis of international law.
In addition to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi was represented by senior Emirati politicians including Deputy Prime Minister Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahayan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahayan; Minister of State, Shakhbut bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan; Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber; Minister of Culture and Youth, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi; Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi; among many others.
Meanwhile, the delegation accompanying the Greek Prime Minister included Minister of Development and Investment Adonis Georgiadis, National Security Advisor Thanos Dokos, Minister of Environment and Energy Konstantinos Skrekas, Minister of Citizen Protection Panagiotis Theodorikakos, as well as several other senior officials.
Since the Greek and Emirati powers inaugurated their relations in 1975, diplomatic ties between the two nations have come a long way along the path of strategic partnership. Greece opened its first embassy in the Arab country in 1989, before the UAE responded by opening its own in 2008.
One of the major milestones in their relations since then was the signing of a Joint Declaration of Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement on Foreign Affairs and Defence in November 2020, since when the distance between Abu Dhabi and Athens has been steadily shrinking. Both seem to share a very similar vision on the diplomatic management of conflicts, and this has been reflected in their political, military, commercial and tourism relations, among others.
Thus, in military matters, the Hellenic-Emirati Joint Military Committee met last March in Abu Dhabi, where a military cooperation programme was signed that will bring the two countries closer in this area during the years 2022 and 2023. This agreement focuses on joint exercises, cooperation in military training and the exchange of experience, and comes months after the "Medusa-11" exercise came to an end".
On the other hand, as far as the economy and trade are concerned, Monday's summit also allowed both Mitsotakis and Mohamed bin Zayed to highlight exchanges which, apart from oil trade, have grown by 67% compared to 2020, and by around 23% compared to 2019. This is evidence that pre-Pandemic trade relations have even been surpassed.
