“We are implementing an active foreign policy, which has made our country a calm force for stability, security and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the end of his visit to Abu Dhabi, before his return to Athens.
The Prime Minister’s full statement:
Today’s visit to the United Arab Emirates and the signing of the relevant agreements constitute a strategic upgrade in the relations between Greece and the UAE.
Greece and the United Arab Emirates are formulating the framework of a strategic alliance, which extends beyond the fields of economic cooperation, to the sectors of Defense and Foreign Policy.
The prospects for further deepening the relations between our two countries are ample and significant. There is now a clear roadmap on how relations between the two countries can become even closer.
Our two countries face the challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean through the same standpoint. They remain committed to the peaceful settlement of disputes and respect for International Law.
I would also like to stress that this visit to the United Arab Emirates is yet another step in the context of an active foreign policy that Greece has been executing over the past year. An active foreign policy that has made our country a calm force for stability, security and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Visit to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and meeting with Hedayah Center representatives
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, built in honor of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, was the Prime Minister’s last stop during his visit to Abu Dhabi.
The Prime Minister took a tour around the Grand Mosque, the largest of its kind in the country. He visited all sections, both indoors and outdoors, of the complex, whose construction materials include Greek marble.
Mr Mitsotakis wrote a missive in the book signed by heads of state and government who visit the Grand Mosque, in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The Prime Minister met earlier with Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, President of the Hedayah Center, an international organization dedicated to countering violent extremism.
Addressing his interlocutor, Mr Mitsotakis stated that Greece recognizes the stabilizing role that the United Arab Emirates play in the wider region and their leading role as a representative of moderate Islam. He also pointed out that, within the European Union, Greece promotes the strengthening of cooperation to deal with international challenges -especially terrorism and extremism- while it firmly supports widening and deepening the collaboration between the UAE on the one hand and EU and NATO on the other.
Hedayah Center, headquartered in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is a pioneer in dealing with several forms of violence and extremism at its onset, promoting dialogue and other policies. It works in close cooperation with a series of international organizations, such as the United Nations, as well as with governments who seek assistance in order to shape their strategy for dealing with various forms of violence.
Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias, the head of the Prime Minister’s Diplomatic Office Eleni Sourani and the Greek to in the UAE, Dionisios Zois, were also present at the meeting.
