This is an important meeting with the Greek prime minister with economic and geopolitical importance, which – according to government sources, but also as reflected in the joint statements of the two men – took place in a positive atmosphere.
By Penelope Galliou
With many bilateral, transnational and business deals, and nine months after the visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Riyadh in October 2021, where the ground was “laid” for the Greek-Arab agreements, the heir to the Saudi throne crossed the threshold of the Maximos Palace of Arabia, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman who is making his first official visit to Athens.
This is an important meeting with the Greek prime minister with economic and geopolitical importance, which – according to government sources, but also as reflected in the joint statements of the two men – took place in a positive atmosphere.
After all, from the first contact with the Greek prime minister in October 2021 in Riyadh, the strong interest of both sides in the further deepening of bilateral relations.
An interstate relationship, which acquires an even more significant role under the fluid conditions prevailing in Europe from the current energy crisis and given the intention expressed by the Saudi crown prince to support Europe, especially southern and western Europe, with much cheaper and efficient energy derived from renewable sources, emphasizing the prospects of cooperation between the two sides.
“I believe we also have historic opportunities, many of which we are going to finalize today,” Mohammed bin Salman said during his reception at the Maximus Palace and added: “By connecting the power grids, we can provide Greece and southeastern Europe through Greece much cheaper energy from renewable sources and we will sign a memorandum of understanding on this today.”
Prince Mohammed Bin Salman also emphasized hydrogen and how it will contribute to turning Greece into a hub for Europe, which will change the facts for both countries, while he also mentioned the equally important interconnection of the telecommunications network. “We certainly have a rich agenda: investment, trade, economic agenda, political agenda, security. So I promise you that when I come to Greece, I will not come empty-handed” the crown prince of Saudi Arabia pledged during his meeting with Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The positive climate and strengthening of Greece-Saudi Arabia relations was sealed and officially institutionalized with the signing of a relevant agreement, for the establishment of the Supreme Strategic Cooperation Council (SSC) of the two countries, which consolidates the strategic relationship of the two countries and the systematic promotion of bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.
The Prime Minister underlined the importance of the ECM (East to Med data Corridor) project, the undersea and terrestrial data transmission cable system that will connect Europe with Asia via Greece and Saudi Arabia and make Greece a data entry gateway to the EU, simultaneously connecting it to the Middle East and Asia.
He also presented to the Prince of Saudi Arabia the initiatives that our country has undertaken in order to become an energy hub that connects the wider region with European markets. In this context, the two leaders discussed the prospects of cooperation between the two countries in the field of “green energy”, as well as the possibilities of transferring electricity from Saudi Arabia to Europe through our country, which can become the “bridge” between Middle East and Europe.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out to his interlocutor the new investment opportunities that Greece offers in tourism infrastructure, the real estate market, maritime transport and the logistics sector, while he emphasized the significant investment potential in port infrastructure and the land transport network in Alexandroupoli . The two leaders also focused their attention on the new prospects opening up for cooperation in digital connectivity, with the transformation of the two countries into important regional data centers thanks to their geographical location.
The two men – according to government sources – also discussed international and regional developments with the Greek Prime Minister noting that Saudi Arabia is a stable partner with a particularly important role in the Gulf region and beyond.
The agreements that were signed
After the private meeting of the Prime Minister with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, extended talks followed between the two delegations and a series of agreements were signed between the two sides which, in addition to the establishment of the Supreme Council of Strategic Cooperation, concern the energy sectors , military cooperation, bilateral investment, scientific and technological cooperation, health, crime-fighting, culture and sports, technical cooperation in the fields of standardization and quality, as well as cooperation in archiving and records management.
In the presence of Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the representatives of Mena Hub (STC), TTSA, PPC and CYTA also signed the agreement for the construction of the East to Med data Corridor (EMC) undersea cable. It is about the undersea and terrestrial cable interconnection for the transfer of data between Asia and Europe via Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Greece, which is expected to be on the road to implementation from next autumn.
The proposal for the construction of the EMC was put for the first time by the Greek side to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia in the context of the visit of Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Riyadh, last October, where it was agreed to proceed with the project. The first signatures were signed last April, while the preliminary conditions were approved at the end of May, during the work of the 5th Joint Interministerial Committee of Greece – Saudi Arabia in Athens.
Who participated in the bilateral cooperation?
From the Greek side, the Minister of Development and Investments, Adonis Georgiadis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, the Minister of Citizen Protection, Takis Theodorikakos, the Minister of of Culture and Sports, Lina Mendoni, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for Economic Diplomacy and External Affairs, Kostas Fragogiannis, the General Secretary of International Economic Relations and External Affairs, Yannis Smyrlis, the Director of the Prime Minister’s Diplomatic Office, Ambassador Anna-Maria Boura, the Ambassador of Greece to Saudi Arabia, Alexis Konstantopoulos, the National Security Adviser, Thanos Dokos, the Head of the Economic Office of the Prime Minister Alexis Patelis and the Deputy Government Representative Aristotelia Peloni.
On the Saudi side, Prince Mohammed bin Salman was accompanied by a large government delegation – including the ministers of Investment, Trade, Communications and Technology and the head of the sovereign wealth fund (PIF). The business delegation that accompanies the Saudi heir to the throne, for contacts and collaborations with Greek businesses, is also numerous.
In any case, the goal of Athens is direct investments from Saudi Arabia in Greece, cooperation in new sectors, as well as a stronger presence of Greek companies in Saudi Arabia.
The business contacts, however, follow the activation of the Greece-Saudi Arabia Business Council and the further strengthening of bilateral economic and business relations. Relations that were recently sealed by the arrival of a large business delegation in Athens in the context of the Hellenic-Saudi Business Forum and the meeting of the Joint Interministerial Committee, which was led by the Minister of Investments of Saudi Arabia.
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