Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Saudi Arabia, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The meeting reaffirmed the strategic ties between the two countries, and ways to deepen them further were discussed, particularly in connectivity, energy and defence.
The prime minister condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia and stressed Greece’s tangible solidarity at a critical time for the Kingdom and the wider region.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece’s presence contributes to the security of the Kingdom and to regional security by protecting critical energy infrastructure in Yanbu, on the Red Sea coast.
He told the Crown Prince that Greece was responding positively to the Kingdom’s request for the Patriot systems to remain in Saudi Arabia during this difficult period.
Regional developments were also discussed, particularly in Iran and the wider Middle East, with a focus on freedom of navigation.
The prime minister reiterated that, as a major maritime power, Greece attaches the utmost importance to the security of international sea lanes and the uninterrupted flow of global trade.
He reiterated that the international legal framework must be respected and that restrictions must not be imposed on freedom of navigation, as this would set a dangerous precedent.
The two leaders held extensive talks on cooperation in connectivity, particularly in the field of data, and on the EMC (East to Med Data Corridor) project, which aims to connect Europe and Asia via Greece and Saudi Arabia.
They also discussed the second meeting of the two countries’ High Council for Strategic Cooperation and reviewed progress since the Council’s first meeting, in January 2025, which established systematic, institutionalised cooperation between the two countries across a range of sectors.