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UAE, Greece seek to boost bilateral ties

September 25, 2020
Greek Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis held talks with Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday. — WAM photo
Greek Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis held talks with Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday. — WAM photo

Saudi Gazette report

ATHENS —
Greek Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis held talks with Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday.

Mitsotakis and Sheikh Abdullah, who is currently on an official visit to Greece, reviewed the prospects of enhancing bilateral relations across all fronts, the UAE's state news agency.

Both leaders discussed ways of accelerating cooperation in areas of science & technology, food & water security, renewable energy, and oil, with the two sides reiterating their countries' determination to establish a robust strategic partnership across all fields.

The two sides also deliberated the latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, in addition to a number of issues of concern, notably the situation in Libya and Iran.

Later in the day, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah met with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias. Following his meeting with Dendias, Sheikh Abdullah said that the leadership of the UAE and Greece are looking forward to establishing a strategic partnership based on a solid basis of friendship and mutual respect.

"I would like to thank Nikos Dendias for our productive and important discussions today. Our meeting was an opportunity to exchange views on the most significant aspects of our growing bilateral relationship, and on regional and international issues of mutual concern to our two friendly nations. It is in the regular holding of these conversations and visits that our relationship grows even further," Sheikh Abdullah said in the joint statement.

Sheikh Abdullah added: "The UAE-Greece relations started in the year 1975, and since then the two nations have come a long way together, with the UAE seeking to grow these bilateral relations to be a model for stability and growth in the region. Today, the partnership between our two nations covers a broad spectrum of cooperation in all fields and scopes, including economics, politics, defense, culture, governance, and food security.

"The UAE and Greece both dedicated particular efforts in promoting and enhancing economic relations, resulting in an increasing level of trade between the two countries. By the end of 2019, the total trade volume of our bilateral non-oil trade had reached $450 million. We would like to even further increase the volumes of our bilateral trade to a level that fully reflects the high potential and capability of our strong partnership."

Sheikh Abdullah added: "In addition to our growing bilateral relations, the UAE and Greece share a deep concern toward the threat that terrorism and extremism pose to our world. We in the UAE believe there should be no compromise on the fight against the waves of terrorism and extremism that are being witnessed today. The UAE plays a pivotal role in countering extremism and terrorism both by combatting both its narrative and operations. We are looking forward to working with partners from around the world to confront this global peril.

"The UAE and Greece also share a common interest in regional stability and a peaceful and cooperative international system. The UAE appreciates Greece’s positive engagement in support of regional stability and praises our close cooperation to address some of the region’s most intractable issues. We both see that the expansionist foreign policy of some neighboring governments is a persistent source of instability in the region, he noted.

"Finally, I would like to emphasize that our aspiration of a strategic partnership stands on strong foundations and could further expand in a range of different sectors such as technology, tourism, education, healthcare, services, and food security."

For his part, the Greek Foreign Minister hailed the privileged relations between the two nations and their cooperation in various domains, including the defense field.

He also commended the support provided by the UAE for his country to help mitigate the impact of the COVID-19.

Sheikh Abdullah earlier met with the Greek foreign minister to discuss the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries in various domains, especially in areas of the economy, trade, culture, technology, science, defense, and food security.

The two top diplomats discussed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and ways of reinforcing stability. They also discussed a number of issues of concern, including the situation in Libya, Yemen, and Iran. The global fight against COVID-19 and the two countries' efforts to confront the fallout of the pandemic featured high during the discussions.

The Greek foreign minister hailed the recently signed peace accord by UAE and Israel and its role in ensuring stability in the region.

Sheikh Abdullah thanked his Greek counterpart for his country's efforts to cement stability and security in the region and the entire world.

The Greek foreign minister also congratulated the leadership and people of the UAE on the successful launch of Hope Probe to Mars and the operation of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, paying tribute to the prestigious stature boasted by the UAE on the regional and global stage.




September 25, 2020
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