Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, discussed further strengthening the strategic partnership between Greece and the United Arab Emirates, with a focus on investment and business cooperation, at a meeting at the Maximos Mansion.
As noted, the target of €4bn in direct investment in the Greek economy has already been exceeded. The target was set in 2022 under the Strategic Agreement for Investment Cooperation between the Hellenic Development Bank, the Hellenic Development Bank of Investments and the UAE state investment fund ADQ.
The meeting examined opportunities to further increase Emirati investment in Greece, as well as prospects for cooperation in tourism, energy, artificial intelligence and its applications, infrastructure and defence.
Business agreements and regional stability
At the start of the meeting, Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that significant business agreements would be signed between companies in the two countries, underlining that the visit was an opportunity to deepen further a strategic relationship that had already delivered tangible results.
The prime minister also referred to regional turmoil, stressing the need for Greece and the United Arab Emirates to work together as “pillars of stability” in pursuit of a more peaceful future for the wider region.
Mr Mitsotakis also referred to the candidacy put forward by the United Arab Emirates for the post of United Nations secretary-general. He said that, with Greece holding the presidency of the Security Council in October, it would seek to help expedite the process, with the aim of securing an outcome acceptable to the UN General Assembly as well.
The prime minister also asked the Crown Prince to convey his warm regards to the UAE president, saying he hoped to reciprocate the visit soon.
15 cooperation agreements as new investment looms
The two men will then attend the Greece-UAE Investment Forum together. The event is being organised by Enterprise Greece at the Conrad Athens The Ilisian hotel.
According to reports, 15 cooperation agreements and memoranda will be signed between Emirati and Greek organisations and businesses in areas including infrastructure, technology, agri-food, healthcare and defence.
Among other things, the memorandum of cooperation between state investment group Mubadala and the Hellenic Development Bank of Investments is expected to be renewed for a further three years.
MoUs will also be signed between Enterprise Greece and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as between Khazna and Masdar Greece and TERNA Energy for green data centres. The project has been in the works for some time at the Foreign Ministry, under Deputy Minister Haris Theocharis.
More than 50 Greek businesses and over 60 members of the delegation from Abu Dhabi will take part in the forum.