The durability of Greek-Israeli relations has successfully passed many tests in recent years, and Athena wants to continue on this path. So, on Monday the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias switch to Jerusalem where he will meet his colleague Eli Cohenwho took office three weeks ago. While this is not yet complete, it is possible that Mr. Dendias will also be received by the Prime Minister. Benjamin Netanyahu.

It is an interesting coincidence that the Minister of Foreign Affairs is also in Israel. United States of America, Anthony Blinken, who just yesterday announced the acceleration of his trip to Cairo, Jerusalem and Ramallah. The joint presence of the two ministers in Israel is significant, as it comes about three weeks after their scheduled meeting in Athens, as well as the resumption of the 3+1 scheme (Israel, Greece, the Republic of Cyprus and the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA). In the immediately preceding period, some contacts in this format (3 + 1) took place, but at a technocratic level, with regard to cybersecurity.

US support for Greece, the Republic of Cyprus and the trilateral scheme with Israel, which was originally designed as a tool to bypass Turkish views in the Eastern Mediterranean, is another element that is very frustrating for Ankara. Although Mr. Blinken will also visit Ankara on his upcoming tour of the region, in addition to visiting Athens, the US attitude is perceived in Turkey as biased in favor of Greece. Moreover, although Israeli-Turkish relations are on the path to normalization, the personal relations of the leaders (Recep Tayyip Erdogan – Benjamin Netanyahu) remain difficult.

The coordination between Greece and Israel concerns broader issues and is not limited to Turkey. It is worth noting that the rapprochement between Israel and Turkey was encouraged by the United States as part of pressure to “normalize” Ankara’s behavior in the region. The most important aspect of relations between Greece and Israel at the current stage concerns efforts to accelerate the exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as their export to Europe by any means. Greece’s excellent relations with Egypt and Israel, as well as close coordination with Saudi Arabia on these issues, provide the basis for even closer cooperation. Even though the Eastern Mediterranean is not considered a top priority at this stage, it will also be at the negotiating table in Dendia.

Among the outstanding issues between Greece and Israel are also very serious hardware issues that take time, such as the SPIKE/NLOS precision-guided missile systems, as well as the possibility of returning some Air Force C-130 aircraft to flight status. It is recalled that the agreement between Greece and Israel to transform the 120th Aviation Training Wing in Kalamata into an International Aviation Training Center is progressing normally. In fact, the first of the new PA jet trainers is already ready in Italy. M-346, which will soon land in Greece.