Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in Riyadh on Saturday.
The Greek Premier condemned the attacks against Saudi Arabia and highlighted Greece’s tangible solidarity with the Kingdom, noting that Greece has been contributing to its air defense through the deployment of a Patriot battery since 2021, the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) reports.
As announced earlier in October during Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias’ visit to Riyadh, Greece has agreed to Saudi Arabia’s request to keep its Patriot missile battery deployed in the Kingdom amid the current critical situation in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis stressed that the Greek presence contributes not only to Saudi Arabia’s security but also to regional security, as the Greek battery protects critical energy infrastructure in Yanbu, on the Red Sea coast.
Greece-Saudi Arabia strategic partnership reaffirmed
During Saturday’s meeting, the two sides reaffirmed the strategic nature of Greece-Saudi Arabia relations and discussed ways to further deepen cooperation, particularly in defence, energy and connectivity.
Special emphasis was placed on regional developments, Iran and the Middle East.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis underscored the need to safeguard freedom of navigation, stressing that Greece, as a major maritime power, attaches the utmost importance to the security of international shipping lanes and the uninterrupted flow of global trade.
He reiterated that the international legal framework must be respected and that no restrictions should be imposed on freedom of navigation, as this would set a dangerous precedent.
