Today, I met with the representatives of all Parliamentary Groups to brief them on the signing of two particularly important texts by the Hellenic Republic and the United Arab Emirates. Both of these texts were signed in the context of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s visit to Abu Dhabi.
Specifically, these are the bilateral agreement on Joint Foreign Policy and Defence Cooperation and the Joint Declaration on the development of a Strategic Partnership between the Hellenic Republic and the United Arab Emirates.
The meetings with the party representatives took place in a very good atmosphere and under conditions of national consensus.
Naturally, I had the opportunity to exchange views with the party representatives on the overly concerning developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In this context, I reiterated the government’s positions on Turkey’s escalating provocations and violations.
I underscored that Greece remains committed to the idea of a constructive dialogue based on international law and the Law of the Sea. But I made clear that, for this dialogue to take place, Turkey will have to prove its respect for international law and do so in the long run and not opportunistically ahead of the European Council meeting.
Coming back to the agreement with the Emirates, I would like to say that this agreement is the culmination of many months of negotiations by both Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and myself.
The content of this agreement is founded on international law. It is not directed against anyone. Rather, it is aimed at preserving peace and stability in the wider region.
In this context, the agreement contains an innovative mutual defence clause. This is the first time since the end of World War II that such a clause is included in an agreement signed by our country.
This agreement is a major diplomatic success that strengthens our country’s security and territorial integrity. At the same time, it constitutes a significant deepening of our relations with the United Arab Emirates. Relations that were very good, but lacked the necessary depth.
This agreement also enhances the framework for further deepening our relations with other friendly countries in the region, such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt and Jordan.
November 26, 2020