Renewable energy sources and the prospects for strengthening investment relations were the focus of the Prime Minister Kyriakou Mitsotakis with the President United Arab EmiratesSheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is visiting Greece.

During the meeting, which took place in Maximos Palace in a very warm atmosphere, the Prime Minister informed the President of the UAE about the important infrastructures that are being created in our country in the field of import, storage and regasification of liquefied natural gas, which, as he mentioned, in combination with its its strategic geographic location makes it a hub and gateway for energy and a bridge connecting the Middle East with Europe.

Investment relations and their further strengthening were discussed after the recent official visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Abu Dhabi in May last year. Kyriakos Mitsotakis congratulated the President of the United Arab Emirates on his assumption of office and noted the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries.

“I am very pleased to welcome you to Athens during your first official visit in your new capacity. Let me congratulate you on assuming this very important responsibility. You know what great importance we attach to the bilateral relations of our countries. We have already done a lot and will do even more in terms of the level of our cooperation,” Mr. Mitsotakis said at the beginning of the meeting and added:

“I am also particularly pleased that the UAE will be the country of honor at the most important International Exhibition in Thessaloniki, which will be held in less than a month in Thessaloniki. And we hope that, if your schedule permits, you will be with us again as head of an important business mission at this very important event. Welcome again.”

For his part, the UAE President emphasized the importance of good bilateral relations and stated that he was concerned that these good relations bear fruit.

“Thank you very much, Prime Minister. Thank you for such great weather. If you arranged this for us, thank you very much. We are waiting for rain, but you must have a very beautiful country. Again, I am very happy to be here with you. I apologize for delaying my visit for so long, but the relationship between us is very important and my main concern is to see how this relationship bears fruit. We have worked to build a bridge between our countries. I am very pleased that we have made great progress over the past two years. And our relations are at a stage where they can be improved even more. We already have a very solid foundation on which to build. Mr Prime Minister, I want to once again express my joy to be here with you,” he said.

According to government representatives, the especially warm atmosphere of the meeting testifies to the mutual interest in further deepening the already excellent bilateral relations and their strategic nature in all areas of mutual interest.

The same leaders note that the “Joint Declaration on Establishing a Broad Strategic Partnership between Greece and the UAE” and the “Agreement on Cooperation in Foreign Policy and Defense”, which were signed during the Prime Minister’s visit to Abu Dhabi in November (17 and 18 ) 2021 is a solid basis for expanding cooperation.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis also stressed that the United Arab Emirates is a stable strategic partner of Greece, playing an important role in the Persian Gulf region and at the international level.

The Prime Minister also stressed the need to ensure stability and peace in the Southeast Mediterranean, as the last thing the region needs at this critical geopolitical moment, when the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine are testing the European and international security environment, a hotbed of tension in the region.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his satisfaction that the United Arab Emirates would be an honorary country at the 86th International Exhibition in Thessaloniki and once again invited the President of the United Arab Emirates to visit Greece on the occasion of TIF.

In an extended meeting of the two leaders with the participation of two delegations, the Greek side was attended by Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy and External Relations Kostas Fragoyannis, Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Prime Minister Ambassador Anna Maria Bura, Advisor to the Prime Minister for National Security Thanos Dokos, Deputy government spokesman Aristotelius Pelonis; and Nikos Tzafos, adviser to the prime minister on energy issues.

^{With information from APE-MPE}