What is Bin Salman doing in Athens?

Commented by Ronald Maynardous*

The visit carries a special symbolic message: it is the first time in more than four years that Saudi Crown Prince Bin Salman has set foot in an EU member state on an official mission. Behind him is a period of diplomatic ostracism. The countries of the western world did not want to appear with the alleged moral perpetrator of the murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. None other than US President Joe Biden broke the ice with his recent visit to Saudi Arabia. Earlier, on the occasion of bin Salman’s visit to Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shelved the legal investigation into the 2018 violent crime.

The whole process shows once again that in the world we live in, Realpolitik ultimately trumps value-based considerations. In the world of real politics, Saudi Arabia is the ultimate political heavy artillery as the master of vast oil reserves and the leading power in the Arab world.

It is no coincidence that the Crown Prince’s first trip to an EU country, after many years of forced diplomatic interruption, takes place in Athens. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, together with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, played a “special role” in ending the political-diplomatic isolation of the heir to the Saudi throne, Al Monitor news service writes in its analysis.

Riyadh is worried about Iran and Athens about Turkey

MBS, as he is also known, travels to Athens with a large entourage and an extensive agenda. It is noteworthy that in the official statements of the two sides, the deepening of military cooperation is at the top of the agenda. Greek media reports that Athens and Riyadh will sign an agreement to expand military cooperation.

On both sides there are specific threat perceptions. While Saudi Arabia’s foreign and defense policy is governed by concerns about Iran’s growing influence, Turkey and its revisionist aspirations are a dominant issue for Greek politics. The main motivation behind the deepening of relations between Greece and Saudi Arabia is found in the mutual recognition and perception of threats and, in relation to this, the willingness of both governments to support them in words and deeds.

In the spring of 2021, shortly after the last serious crisis between Greece and Turkey, fighter jets from Saudi Arabia participated in exercises of the Greek air force over the Aegean Sea. Previously, at the height of the Greek-Turkish conflict, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had already stationed fighter jets in Crete – much to Turkey’s chagrin.

At the table of talks and energy

In return for the Saudi military-political cooperation, Greece shortly afterwards lent Saudi Arabia the most modern Patriot missile defense system, along with the crew that operates it. The Houthi rebels have repeatedly fired missiles at targets in Saudi Arabia. The Patriot missiles provided by Athens are considered an effective interceptor.

In addition to military issues, the bilateral consultations in Athens will also focus on the expansion of economic and cultural cooperation. “The sky’s the limit,” enthused Saudi Investment Minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz al-Falih on the sidelines of an economic conference in Athens in late May, referring to Greece’s privileged geostrategic position at the crossroads between Europe and the Middle East. Such reports find receptive ears in Athens. Kyriakos Mitsotakis does not miss an opportunity to promote his country as a strategic hub for Europe’s energy supply in the future.

But Riyadh and Athens will not only discuss the big issue of energy. The two countries reportedly want to join forces for the laying of a cable at the bottom of the Mediterranean that will carry data (data cable). In this way, Greece is developing into a regional digital hub between Europe and the Arab world.

* Dr. Ronald Mainardus is a political analyst, commentator and principal researcher at ELIAMEP. In the mid-1990s he was director of the Greek editorial office of Deutsche Welle.

Source: Deutsche Welle