Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Greece on Tuesday evening in his first official visit to a European Union member state after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018.
The purpose of this trip is to strengthen bilateral cooperation, especially in economic and energy fields.
The crown prince, along with three ministers and a delegation of investors, began his meetings in Athens with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, according to scenes broadcast on the official Greek channel ART.
Bin Salman’s visit, which Greece described as “high-level”, followed Mitsotakis’s official visit to Riyadh last October with the aim of attracting Saudi investment.
At the beginning of the meeting with Mitsotakis, the crown prince said that “the relations between the two countries are historic and we will have the opportunity to finalize a series of bilateral projects.”
Among these projects, according to bin Salman, is the construction of a power line connecting Saudi Arabia to Greece, which would allow Europe to supply “energy (at a much cheaper price).”
The Prime Minister of Greece, for his part, considered bin Salman’s visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the strength of our strategic relations, we will sign important agreements and we will have the opportunity to discuss regional developments and how to strengthen these important relations between the two countries. do. the countries.”
A statement from the Greek Foreign Ministry said that the ministers of the two countries will sign agreements on Wednesday in the fields of maritime transport, energy, defense technology, waste management and culture.
Greek diplomatic sources said the talks also include a data transfer project between Saudi Arabia and Greece that “will become a regional hub between Europe and Asia.”
According to the Saudi Arabian news agency, the crown prince will travel to France on Wednesday at the end of his visit to Greece.
Source: Lebanon Debate
