Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Discusses Bilateral Ties With Greek Prime Minister In Athens

UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed held a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens on Monday to discuss strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries.

Upon landing in the Greek capital, Sheikh Abdullah extended greetings and well wishes from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Mitsotakis for the continued prosperity of Greece.

Mitsotakis also conveyed his well-wishes to Sheikh Mohamed during an official reception ceremony held for the Emirati Minister. The Greek Prime Minister also reciprocated the greetings of Sheikh Abdullah and his delegation, which included Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy Omar Ghobash, Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs Saeed Al Hajeri and UAE's Ambassador to Greece Sulaiman Al Mazrouie.

The Greek Prime Minister further extended wishes for the UAE's continued progress and reaffirmed the strong relations between both nations among discussions on the efforts to further bolster their ties.

Among the topics discussed during the meeting included the outcome of the official visit of Sheikh Mohamed to the Hellenic Republic in August 2022. Mitsotakis commended the Emirati president for his work in furthering the ties between the two nations and introducing a wide range of opportunities for the expansion of joint cooperation.

Both leaders mentioned the importance of strengthening the economic cooperation between the UAE and Greece, considering the astounding 68% growth in their total trade exchange from 2020 to 2021. During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah and Mitsotakis expressed their desire to enhance cooperation in various sectors, particularly in the aviation sector where they agreed on the importance of increasing direct flights between the UAE and Greece.

They also discussed regional and international issues that impact their strategic partnership and other issues of mutual interest, including the latest developments in the Mediterranean, Gulf region and the Middle East as well as the de-escalation of tensions in Greek-Turkish relations.

The leaders further highlighted how the UAE and Greece's relations deepened over the years with their commitment to bolstering the ties for mutual interests of their people and maintaining stability in the region. Sheikh Abdullah also acknowledged the role played by Greece in enhancing the country's ties with the European Union.