A warm welcome to his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, was reserved by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, shortly after 11:00, at the entrance of the ministry. Speaking in a cordial atmosphere, Mr. Dendias accompanied in his office Mr. Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is making his first visit to our country after the signing of the Greece-France defense agreement. At the moment, their private conversation is in progress, while afterwards, extended talks of the two delegations will take place.
“I welcomed to the Foreign Ministry the French counterpart of Jean-Yves Le Drian, confirming the excellent bilateral relations. “Greece and France are strategic allies linked to common values ​​and historical ties of friendship of their peoples”, Mr. Dendias wrote characteristically on Twitter.
The program of the French Foreign Minister started this morning with the meeting with the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Palace, in which the Minister of Foreign Affairs also took part.
Discussions are expected to focus on the excellent bilateral relations, as they were upgraded with the signing of the Greece-France Strategic Partnership Agreement, on the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Cyprus issue, the developments in Libya after the Paris Conference, the Sahel region. and the strengthening of multidimensional cooperation in areas of common interest, as stated in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At 13:00, the quadripartite meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece, France, Egypt and Cyprus will take place, following the previous consultations and the regular coordination between the countries, in the framework of the “3 +1” format. Developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, Libya, Gulf, Sahel, as well as the Cyprus issue are expected to be examined.
Energy co-operation will also be discussed, as well as international challenges such as pandemics, climate change and migration.
After the end of the work of the quadripartite, statements to the press are scheduled to take place around 15:30.
The last meeting of this “3 + 1” group took place online in May 2020, with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
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