Mitsotakis in Riyadh: Greece will not be intimidated over maritime zones
It should come as no surprise that Greece enjoys good relations with Saudi Arabia as “they have the same geopolitical challenges,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a conference in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Tuesday.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Future Investment Initiative, Mitsotakis said he believes Greece is “safe” in a geopolitical context, referring to Turkey’s behavior.
“We have formed our alliances. We have drawn our lines very clearly and I hope that, at some point, Turkey will work constructively with us to resolve the one key issue that remains, which is the delimitation of maritime zones.”
Greece has signed agreements with Egypt and Italy on maritime zones based on international treaties, he said, adding: “We are always open to dialogue but we will not be intimidated and will not accept the violation of our sovereign rights.”
Among other issues, he referred to the possibility of transporting natural gas from Egypt and Israel through Greece to Europe and about the promotion of the subsea power link between Greece and Egypt.
“If the Gulf region can produce cheap electricity, we are interested in it coming to Europe through Greece, which may be a transit country,” Mitsotakis said, reiterating that the government has set a goal to remove lignite fully from electricity production by 2028. [AMNA]
