Greece and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed the strategic nature of the relations during the meeting of visiting Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with the heir to the throne of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday.
During their meeting, Mitsotakis stressed that “the close contacts between our two countries, at all levels, demonstrate – I believe – the excellent level of our bilateral relations and the understanding we have on a wide range of issues.”
He said that Greece can become a key entry point for natural gas to the European Union from the Middle East and the southeastern Mediterranean.
Greece keen to attract investment from the UAE
“Significant investments are being made to that effect and we would like to explore the possibility of [deepening] strategic cooperation and of attracting investment from UAE.”
At the same time, Mitsotakis stressed, Greece is speeding up gas exploration in its own national territory.
“This prospect could create room for further strategic cooperation [between the two countries],” he said, while expressing interest in the development of offshore wind farms.
In his comments, the Emirates’ crown prince underscored the significance of the strategic partnership agreement signed between the two countries in November 2020, adding that economic trade between the two countries went up by 76 percent as a result of the deal.
He said his country is interested in expanding bilateral cooperation in the areas of energy, technology, health and food safety.
This is Mitsotakis’ third visit to the UAE as Greek PM.