The 4th Greece-UAE Strategic Business Forum, focused on expanding trade and investment ties between Greece and the United Arab Emirates, was held today at Conrad Athens - The Ilisian, with senior officials, investors and business executives from both countries in attendance.
According to a statement, the event was held during the official visit to Greece by the UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, and marked another initiative to strengthen bilateral economic relations and identify new opportunities for cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Enterprise Greece, as part of its mission to attract investment and promote Greek exports, played an active role in preparing the Forum and mobilising the Greek business community. Its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Marinos Giannopoulos, also took part in the proceedings.
From agri-food and supply chains to artificial intelligence
The importance of further strengthening economic ties between the two countries was highlighted in opening remarks by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Haris Theoharis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Secretary General for International Economic Relations and Extroversion and Enterprise Greece Chairman Dimitris Skalkos, and Dr. Ali Saeed bin Harmal Al Dhaheri, First Vice-Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The keynote address was delivered by the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
The programme centred on two themes of particular relevance to Greece-UAE business relations.
The first, entitled «Strengthening Food Security Through Resilient Supply Chains», focused on food security, supply chain resilience and opportunities for cooperation in agri-food, production and logistics. Participants in the discussion represented LuLu Group, Elite Agro, Soya Mills / Hellenic Fine Oils and OB Streem, highlighting the importance of connecting producers, investors, commercial networks and transport companies.
The second discussion, entitled «Connected by Innovation: Building Partnerships to Advance AI and Emerging Technologies», focused on the investment and business prospects created by artificial intelligence, emerging technologies and digital infrastructure.
Participants represented UAE companies Open Innovation AI and Presight, as well as Greece’s DLR Greece and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE). The discussion centred on opportunities to develop partnerships in artificial intelligence, digital innovation and advanced technologies, with the aim of creating new business and investment opportunities.
The discussions highlighted the potential for Greece and the UAE to draw on their complementary strengths, combining Greece’s productive and technological base and access to the European market with the UAE’s international business presence.
New Memorandum of Cooperation between Enterprise Greece and Abu Dhabi Chamber
A key development was the announcement that Enterprise Greece and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry had signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to strengthen trade and investment ties and facilitate direct connections between the two business communities.
The Memorandum was signed by Enterprise Greece Chairman Dimitris Skalkos and Abu Dhabi Chamber First Vice-Chairman Dr. Ali Saeed bin Harmal Al Dhaheri.
The cooperation provides for the exchange of information on investment and trade opportunities, the facilitation of contacts between investors and businesses, support for business missions and B2B meetings, and the promotion of joint information and networking initiatives.
The aim is both to facilitate access for investors from Abu Dhabi to business opportunities in Greece and to create new channels for Greek companies to establish a presence in the UAE market.
Building on momentum in Greece-UAE economic relations
The Forum took place amid growing economic and investment ties between Greece and the UAE, which have developed significantly in recent years, with investment activity in sectors including energy, infrastructure, healthcare and technology.
A key point of reference is the €4 billion investment cooperation framework announced in 2022, while recent institutional and business initiatives reflect growing interest in further developing bilateral cooperation.
Enterprise Greece will continue to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant institutional and business bodies to build on the contacts made at the Forum, facilitate new investment and support the international growth of Greek businesses.
A consistent priority remains turning institutional dialogue and investor interest into concrete, sustainable business partnerships.