JOURNALIST: You have been a prominent lawyer and law professor for a long time. Can you please tell me how that career has helped you in your functioning as a politician and minister?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Coming from the fields of law and academic rationalism, makes one realize the importance of deliberative processes, and principled rules and positions. This fits very well with the core of Greece’s foreign policy, which is a principled foreign policy, based on the established principles of International Law, primarily the principles of the UN Charter.
JOURNALIST: Can you please talk about the purpose of your visit and expected outcomes?
G. GERAPETRITIS: My trip here was planned before the recent very alarming developments and the new circle of violence in Israel and Gaza that needs to stop as soon as possible. My visit takes place within the framework set by our bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), signed in 2020, which was given further impetus by the relevant joint declaration last year during the official visit of the Greek Prime Minister to the UAE.
I am looking forward to fruitful discussions with UAE officials, in order to expand our bilateral ties by promoting cooperation on a wide spectrum of areas, most notably security, defense, renewable energy and the fight against climate change.
There is no doubt that the UAE is a pillar of prosperity and stability in the wider region. We very much cherish the contribution of the UAE in the Middle East and in Libya and their role within the I2U2 and the GCC. Greece aspires to become the bridge between the Arab world and Europe, and the UAE have established themselves as a major actor in the region.
JOURNALIST: During the Greece visits of the UAE President in 2022 and UAE foreign minister in April, both sides discussed strengthening the cooperation in economy, trade, investment, development, renewable energy and food security. As the new foreign minister, how do you view the way forward and potential of cooperation in these domains?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Our joint efforts to strengthen our bilateral economic ties are already showing results. According to the latest statistics, investment flows in both directions have been increasing steadily in the past years and especially since 2022. More than 350 Greek companies are currently active in the UAE, mostly in the construction and shipping sectors. Similarly, UAE-based companies engage in significant investment activities in Greece, notably in the tourism infrastructure, renewable energy, health care and agricultural products sectors.
JOURNALIST: During the UAE foreign minister’s visit, the two sides also reviewed frameworks for joint cooperation in the aviation sector and the importance of continuous work to increase direct flights between the two countries. Would you like to talk about its progress?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Air connectivity is critical to the development of bilateral relations. I am pleased to announce that the Greek air carrier, Aegean Airlines, is launching a new Athens-Dubai flight starting October 10th and with 6 flights per week. The new flight will be an addition to the already existing flight routes from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Athens and several Greek islands (Mykonos, Santorini, Corfu) operated by Etihad, Emirates, Fly Dubai and WizzAir. We also hope to have very soon direct connections with other cities in Greece and the UAE, such as Thessaloniki and Sharjah.
JOURNALIST: What about people-to-people, and cultural relations and role of tourism in this regard?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Culture and tourism bring people together and promote understanding and tolerance. Greece is among the most popular tourist destinations for UAE travelers for the summer of 2023, ranking 5th. However, there is still room for improvement. We are looking into possibilities to enhance our cooperation, especially in the field of culture. For example, our embassy in Abu Dhabi has explored possibilities of cooperation with the Louvre Abu Dhabi in order to bring Greek culture closer to the people of the UAE.
JOURNALIST: Would you like to talk about the latest developments related to the €4 billion joint investment fund announced by the two countries in May 2022?
G. GERAPETRITIS: The implementation of the MoU with the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ), which was signed during the last visit in the UAE of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in May 2022, is well on track. Teams from both countries work closely together thoroughly examining investment opportunities from the full spectrum of the Greek economy. Last December, we had the first announcement about the investment in the Greek prop-tech Blueground. We hope that we will have soon more positive announcements about another ADQ investment in Greece. We highly value ADQ’s professional approach and sincere engagement and we consider it as a trusted and valuable partner in the region.
JOURNALIST: Have the Greek-UAE bilateral relations realised the full potential? Do you think the relations have to be expanded to new areas? If yes, what are the potential new areas of cooperation?
G. GERAPETRITIS: The strategic partnership relationship with the UAE has borne significant fruits in areas such as political and military cooperation. We would like to raise the level of excellent bilateral political and military relations, and in the economic and trade relations we see a lot of untapped potential. Also, the areas of technological and cultural cooperation, as well as cooperation in energy and the environment are of particular importance to our country. The UAE is a strategic partner, and we are eager to explore all possibilities for cooperation both at the bilateral and the multilateral level.
Furthermore, Greece may become the UAE’s entry point to Europe. From that perspective, we strongly believe that the signing of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) can signal a new beginning.
JOURNALIST: How do you view the Greek-UAE cooperation in international arena, especially in the UN and other multilateral forums?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Throughout the years, our two countries have been supporting each other regarding various respective candidacies to international organizations positions. We have supported the UAE’s candidacy as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and we are especially grateful for the expressed support of the UAE regarding Greece’s current candidacy to the UN Security Council.
JOURNALIST: How do you view the importance of COP28 in global climate action? What about the potential Greek-UAE cooperation at COP28?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Greece is a contracting party to all major international environmental conventions, treaties and protocols and has set the climate, peace and security nexus as a priority of its candidacy for the election as a non-permanent member of the UΝ Security Council for 2025-2026.
When it comes to environment and energy, it is safe to say that Greece and the UAE share many common values and objectives. Just like the UAE, Greece is fully committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Greece’s renewable energy sources account for almost 50% of domestic demand by 2023 with an aim to achieve 80% coverage by 2030. Greece also promotes energy interconnectivity and a greener future for the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Moreover, we have warmly welcomed the joint UAE and EU announcement in June 2023 for the adoption of two global pledges, namely to triple the use of renewable energy and to double energy efficiency.
Greece will actively participate in COP-28 and organize a series of side events at its national pavilion, in order to project its own priorities: The proposal “Addressing climate change impacts on cultural and natural heritage”, launched with the supporting partnership of UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the 9th “Our Ocean Conference'', which will be held in Athens in 2024 and examine ways to address the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, overfishing and marine pollution. Other events will exemplify the Greek-UAE cooperation in tackling climate change and environmental degradation and promoting a green and sustainable future for the wider region.
JOURNALIST: Any other important aspects/ topics you would like to add or highlight?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Greece maintains a strategic partnership with selected countries of the world, with the UAE being one of them. Therefore, we want to make the most out of it and we can be your voice in the EU.
Greece would welcome a trilateral relationship with the UAE and India focused on enhanced economic cooperation, the development of infrastructure and the implementation of joint projects in the fields of transportation, logistics, energy, and trade in view of the planned India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.
October 12, 2023