ANA-MPA
. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday met the successor to the throne of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for a discussion focused on enhancing and upgrading UAE bilateral relations with Greece at a strategic level.
The two leaders expressed their strong desire to strengthen economic relations to the same level as political and defence cooperation, pursuant to the strategic choice to further deepen relations at a political and economic level.
During the meeting, there was an in-depth review of the rapid progress attained in recent months in bilateral relations, over the full range of bilateral cooperation. They also discussed developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, with emphasis on Turkey’s destabilising attitude, and the most important aspects of Greek-UAE strategic relations, which were sealed by the Common Declaration of the two governments, as well as the signing of the Joint Declaration of Strategic and Partnership Cooperation signed by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and a bilateral agreement in the fields of defence and foreign policy.
The signing of the agreements indicates, according to government sources, the virtually identical positions of the two sides against the common provocation they face on a regional level and upgrades their relations at a strategic level in all areas of common interest.
Government officials said that the cooperation agreement in the sectors of foreign policy and defence foresees, among others, the establishment of a High Level Committee which will supervise its implementation, as well as the enhancement of defence cooperation according to the 2007 military coooperation agreement.
The strengthening and deepening of Greek-UAE relations gives new prospects for the enhancement of regional multilateral cooperation efforts that are on the same strategic axis, with the guidelines for cooperation being to establish a climate of stability and peace in the wider region at a time when Turkey, through a series of illegal actions, is jeopardising peace in the region.
Also present at the meetings were Dendias, Development and Investments Minister Adonis Georgadis, Deputy Foreign Minister responsible for the economic diplomacy and extroversion Konstantinos Fragogiannis, the director of Prime Minister’s office, Ambassador Eleni Sourani, and the Greek envoy to the UAE Dionyssios Zois.
