Mitsotakis hosts Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince at the Maximos Mansion: investments, energy, artificial intelligence and defence on the table

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met on Thursday, October 22, at the Maximos Mansion with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two sides “confirmed the excellent relations and the mutual will to further deepen the strategic partnership between Greece and the United Arab Emirates”, the prime minister wrote in a post after the meeting.

The focus was on investment and investment cooperation “in the wider region”. “We also had the opportunity to discuss prospects for strengthening cooperation in the fields of tourism, energy, artificial intelligence and its applications, infrastructure and defence,” the prime minister added. Photographs published by the Prime Minister’s Press Office show that after the private meeting there were extended talks of the two delegations around a large table at the Maximos Mansion. The crown prince was received with honours by the Presidential Guard at the entrance of the mansion, where Mitsotakis welcomed him in person.

Sheikh Khaled is the son of UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed and has been Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi since 2023. He also heads the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, which oversees much of the emirate’s sovereign investment funds, which is why the visit has a strong economic character.

A strategic partnership since 2020

Greece and the UAE signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2020, which includes a clause of mutual military assistance in case of a threat to the territorial integrity of either country. It was signed in Abu Dhabi in November 2020, during Mitsotakis’ visit to Mohamed bin Zayed. Since then the armed forces of the two countries have taken part in joint exercises, with Greek fighters stationed for training in the Emirates and Emirati ones in Greece.

The visit comes as the Emirates stand on the front line of the war with Iran, with attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and by the Houthis in the Gulf. UAE officials have said the country is “better prepared” for a new round of conflict. For Athens, relations with the Gulf states are part of its policy of alliances in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.