On Thursday, the president of Egypt, Sheikh Mohamed, met at a high level with the Greek president and prime minister.
The UAE President, who is on an official visit to the European nation, was received by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou at the Presidential Palace in Athens upon his arrival. The leader of the UAE declares that his country is “dedicated to fostering relationships and economic ties with our major partners”.
An official reception was held at the palace, where the anthems of the UAE and Greece were played.
In a tweet, Sheikh Mohamed shared pictures from the reception.
“Today, I arrived in the ancient city of Athens and was pleased to meet President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and members of the Greek government,” he said.
“The UAE is committed to strengthening strategic relations and economic ties with our key partners.”
During the meeting, Ms Sakellaropoulou said both countries shared the same vision concerning peace, security and prosperity in the region.
Sheikh Mohamed expressed his happiness over the development of relations between the two countries, which has continued in recent years.
He highlighted that trade between the two nations grew by 17 per cent, despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UAE President’s diplomatic adviser, Dr Anwar Gargash, said Sheikh Mohamed’s trip to Athens strengthened a long-standing, strategic partnership.
The two countries explored areas of common interest, including “investment and economic co-operation to facilitating energy transition. Working with our friends for a peaceful and prosperous future”, said Dr Gargash.
Sheikh Mohamed was accompanied by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, Adviser for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court; Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and managing director and group chief executive of Adnoc.
Also part of the UAE delegation are Ali Al Shamsi, deputy secretary general of the Supreme National Security Council; and Sulaiman Al Mazrouei, UAE ambassador to Greece.
Sheikh Mohamed also met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, where they discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance them.
The two leaders exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments of mutual concern and agreed on the need to find peaceful solutions to the region’s conflicts and strengthen international security and stability.
Sheikh Mohamed said he was happy that the UAE and Greece were deepening relations and noted the importance of building on agreements signed by the two sides.
He also stressed the need to strengthen co-operation to address mutual challenges linked to the economy, trade, food security and climate change.
Sheikh Mohamed thanked Mr Mitsotakis for inviting the UAE to the 86th Thessaloniki International Fair, which will be held from September 10 to 18.
The UAE is the first Arab country to be invited to participate as “guest of honour” in the annual event, which dates back to 1926 and is considered to be the oldest international trade fair.
Sheikh Mohamed said a delegation of more than 40 entities from the UAE’s public and private sectors would participate.
He also invited Mr Mitsotakis to attend the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (Cop28), which will be held in the Emirates in 2023.
Sheikh Mohamed said the UAE was committed to being an active international player in climate action and expressed the country’s keenness to welcome the world to Cop28.
The leaders also discussed the latest developments related to the €4 billion ($3.99bn) joint investment fund created during Mr Mitsotakis’s visit to Abu Dhabi in May, as well as the outcome of a business forum attended by more than 20 leading Emirati companies and more than 50 Greek entities.
They talked about the importance of supporting efforts to find a political and peaceful solution to the Yemeni crisis.
The UAE and Greece established a strategic partnership in 2020 based on a relationship that dates back to 1976, when the countries set up a joint committee for economic, cultural and technical co-operation.
According to data from the Ministry of Economy, non-oil foreign trade between the UAE and Greece was over Dh2.1 billion ($571.7 million) in 2021, an increase of 67% from the previous year.
