The importance of closer cooperation between Europe and the Gulf countries was highlighted by Kyriakos Mitsotakis during speech at the leaders’ dinner of the Europe Gulf Forum, organized by the Antenna Group in cooperation with the Atlantic Council in Costa Navarino.
The Prime Minister referred to the geopolitical role of Greece, the new energy and defence challenges, as well as the importance of stability in Africa and the Middle East.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ speech in Greek
Thank you very much for this extremely kind introduction. I understand that it is extremely dangerous to talk for too long, because you have had a look at this wonderful menu and I am sure that you all have a particular appetite.
First of all, however, I would like to begin by congratulating the Atlantic Council and Thodoris personally for this excellent event, which is taking place in a place of particular historical importance for my country, because right behind us, in this bay, in October 1827, an important naval battle took place. The combined forces and fleets of Britain, France and Russia sank the Ottoman-Egyptian fleet, effectively paving the way for Greek independence.
Tony and David, we are very grateful that Admiral Codrington ignored the non-engagement instructions he had received and ended up sinking the entire fleet. If that had not happened, Greece would probably not be an independent state today.
But it is also interesting that we are in a place that, in a way, symbolises the progress the country has made. It is a wonderful new destination that we have been highlighting over the last 10 years. It was the vision of a very important Greek shipowner who was born in a village not far from here, poor, created his fortune at sea and decided to invest in his homeland. With great patience he gathered a large tract of land and turned it into an amazing new destination. Essentially, I think, it reflects the progress Greece has made in recent years.
However, we are not here today to talk about Greece’s achievements. We are here to talk about what I think is a high priority for all of us Europeans, which is to establish a much more constructive and productive relationship with the Gulf countries, and I am very pleased that you have had the opportunity today to meet, to exchange views and to discuss openly and frankly the opportunities and challenges of this very important relationship.
And when I look at Greece, since the conquest of our independence, we have always looked to the West. The challenge has always been: “How can we become a real member of the European family?”
But nowadays, I think it is much more important to look also to the East, to the South-East, to the South, to Africa. And that, I think, is particularly important in the context of this changing security environment. In the European Council we are discussing at length with Georgia about a 360-degree approach to security.
As much as we are concerned about the war in Ukraine, we cannot ignore the fact that there are many opportunities and challenges in other parts of the world. I believe that Greece is a natural “bridge” between Europe and the Gulf countries. We have stood by the side of the Gulf countries in times of great difficulties, supporting them militarily with all our forces. I believe that now is the time to strengthen this cooperation in several priority areas, with energy clearly being one of them.
In Europe, we talk a lot about the pace of the green transition. We remain committed to our climate goals, but at the same time we know that carbonisation cannot be achieved at the expense of our industrial base. We also know that fossil fuels will continue to be part of our energy mix for the foreseeable future. So if we are going to talk about importing natural gas, about new relationships, strategic partnerships, this is really the region we should be looking at.
When we talk about strengthening our defence base in Europe, let us bear in mind that, as you know, the Gulf countries have made significant progress in the field of defence technology. There are new partnerships that can be built in this area.
When we look at new trade routes, the importance of IMEC (India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor), the Gulf countries are right in the middle between India and Europe. There are significant opportunities to explore new trade routes, to look at logistics issues, but also to increase the penetration of European investment in the Gulf, which, admittedly, is still at a relatively low level. We always seek to attract investment from the Gulf to Europe, but we also need to be bolder in terms of investing in this part of the world, as it is going through a period of profound transformation.
And last but not least, an issue I know Georgia is particularly interested in: Africa. We can and should work with the Gulf countries, despite the fact that, as I understand, our agendas are not always fully aligned, but I think it is in everyone’s interest to help stabilize Africa, to invest in Africa, to look at how Africa can help us diversify our sources of critical raw materials, to manage problems like migration, to make sure that countries like Egypt remain stable and that Libya returns to a state of stability. This is vital for both sides. And I turn my attention to Georgia because we are facing major migratory pressures and we have an interest that I think is consistent with that of the Gulf countries in terms of ensuring peace and stability in that region.
So I don’t want to take up your time. There is no way I can compete with the jugglers and painters that Thodoris was kind enough to invite, I am sure there will be very interesting entertainment after our dinner – what I can tell you is that there is no way my party’s conference can compete with that, you know how it is, you watch a lot of speeches.
We have elections coming up, in May 2027 at the latest, and I have to make sure that we prevail again. But thank you very much, Thodoros, for inviting me, and I really look forward to making sure that this forum becomes even more meaningful.
As far as our role in the European Council is concerned, I am sure that the countries represented here today will make every effort to strengthen cooperation and ensure that, at some point, they deliver on their commitments. Greece and Italy are the two countries currently participating in Operation ASPIDES, a naval operation aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. We must therefore convince our other European partners that if they want to take this relationship with the Gulf countries more seriously, they must live up to their commitments. But I am confident that we will make significant progress in that direction.
Thank you very much again, Fred, for organising this meeting. Let’s renew our meeting here next year, which will probably be, you know, during the election campaign. Thank you very much.
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