United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks in Athens on Thursday with his Greek counterpart Katerina Sakellaropoulou on friendship and cooperation relations between their countries and ways to enhance and develop them.
Both sides exchanged views on various issues of common interest and discussed joint action and means of boosting it in line with the bilateral strategic partnership.
Talks further tackled developments at the regional and international levels.
Sheikh Mohamed is in Athens for an official visit.
Sakellaropoulou welcomed him at the presidential palace and congratulated him on assuming the presidency, hoping that his visit will deepen the friendship and cooperation between their friendly countries and peoples.
Greece considers the UAE its strategic partner, Sakellaropoulou said, adding that both countries share the same vision towards peace, security and prosperity in the region.
She went on to say that the bilateral ties have been strengthened over the past years, expressing her confidence that many more opportunities are available to further bolster them in many fields.
Sheikh Mohamed, for his part, expressed his content over the ongoing development of bilateral ties in recent years, noting a 17% increase in trade exchange between the two countries despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
He later discussed with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cooperation and joint action through their strategic partnership, in addition to all regional and international issues and developments of common interest.
They reviewed opportunities for boosting collaboration, most notably in areas of economy, investment, development and environment, as well as in renewable energy and food security.
They exchanged views on the latest regional and international developments and underlined their common views toward forging peaceful solutions to the region’s conflicts and the need to bolster international security and stability.
Sheikh Mohamed welcomes efforts to advance bilateral relations, underscoring the importance of building on the recent agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) signed by the two sides.
He stressed the need to strengthen cooperation in addressing mutual challenges related to the economy, trade, food security and climate change.
He invited Mitsotakis to attend the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held in the UAE in 2023.
He underscored his country’s commitment to being an active international player in climate action and keenness to welcome the world at COP28 to achieve real progress in this field by drafting a comprehensive methodology to reduce the repercussions of climate change.
The Greek PM lauded the UAE’s significant efforts in maintaining regional and international security and peace and promoting tolerance and moderation, pointing to Athens’ keenness to further strengthen its ties with the UAE.
