The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia in Athens – The meeting with K. Mitsotakis at Maximos and the agreements to be signed

Of Dimitris Gatsiu

Important agreements in critical sectors, such as energy, investment, but also the bilateral cooperation between Athens and Riyadh will be at the forefront of today’s meeting of the Prime Minister with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, who is coming to confirm the strategic relations of the two countries.

Accompanied by a large business delegation, indicative of Saudi Arabia’s interest in investing in Greece, the Saudi crown prince arrives in the Greek capital today and will have his second four-fourth in ten months with Mr. Mitsotakis, after the Prime Minister’s visit to Riyadh in October 2021.

Indicative, as government officials comment, of the importance Riyadh attaches to its relations with Athens and of the recognition of our country as a pillar of stability and security in a critical region of the world map, is that the visit of Mohammed bin Salman is the first of the heir to the throne on European soil since April 2018.

At the same time, the strategic character of the relations has been sealed by Greece’s contribution to the defense of Saudi Arabia, with the dispatch of a Patriot array.

A move that has been appreciated by Riyadh, as announced during the visit of Mr. Mitsotakis, during which the establishment of a Supreme Cooperation Council of the two countries was also agreed upon.

– A large delegation.

The crown prince will be accompanied by a large government delegation, which will include, among others, the ministers of Investment, Trade, Communications and Technology and the head of the sovereign wealth fund. And their presence here will be combined with the signing and exchange of agreements with their Greek counterparts. In particular, among the agreements to be signed are:

-The military cooperation agreement.

-The cooperation agreement in the energy sector, as Greece becomes a hub for energy transfer to Europe and can be a bridge with the Middle East.

– Agreements in science, technology and culture.

As pointed out by actors, the agreement to be signed by the four companies leading the EMC project is of particular importance. The undersea and terrestrial cable interconnection for the transfer of data between Asia and Europe via Saudi Arabia, Cyprus and Greece, which is expected to enter the… rails of implementation from next autumn.

This is a project that essentially upgrades the position of our country, which will turn into a hub for the storage and distribution of data in the region of South-Eastern Europe, bringing tangible economic and geostrategic benefits.

“Our goal is direct investments from Saudi Arabia in Greece, cooperation in new sectors as well as a stronger presence of Greek businesses in Saudi Arabia.

The business contacts, after all, follow the activation of the Greece-Saudi Arabia Business Council and the further strengthening and deepening of our economic and business relations”, say government officials.