GREECE celebrates today its anniversary, the cornerstone of the history of modern Greece, the start of the struggle for independence on the 25th of March, 1821.
On this occasion, I extend my warm greetings to the fellow Greeks who reside and work in the Kingdom — this hospitable country — wishing them constant progress in their endeavors. Their presence in Saudi Arabia constitutes one more link between the two countries.
Greece is a country deeply committed to the ideals of peace, freedom and democracy. Its population enjoys political stability and economic progress and prosperity. In the field of foreign policy, Greece has always acted as a country whose main concerns are peace, security, stability and the implementation of international law and treaties.
The paramount role of the Kingdom in the region is appreciated by Greece, which considers the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East as an area of immediate importance to its interests. This is reflected in Greece’s active support, both bilaterally as well as member of the EU, to all efforts toward stability and good neighborly relations in the region.
With the Arab world, Greece has a particular relationship of friendship and cooperation, founded on an old and fruitful cultural interaction. Greece is a firm friend of the Arab world, sharing its stand and supporting the Arab positions on many issues, particularly the Palestinian one. In this context, the Kuwait summit and the Saudi initiative to boost Arab unity has been vital. The historic masterstroke by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for the unique interfaith dialogue deploys the vision and the goals of the Saudi policy worldwide and brings it to the center of the United Nations.
The state visit of the President of the Hellenic Republic to Riyadh and the visit of Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal to Athens in November highlighted the bonds between the two countries, confirmed common views and gave new impetus to our political and economic cooperation.
High-level visits (including visits by delegations and members of the business community) and participation in events and commercial exhibitions are clear manifestations of the ever-growing progress in our economic relations. A Greek-Saudi Inter-Ministerial meeting, as provided in the Bilateral Agreement for Economic Cooperation, will take place in the near future. The forthcoming EU-GCC ministerial meeting will be a further occasion to consolidate relations between the European Union and its Gulf partners in all fields. We hope that this meeting will result in tangible progress between the two groups of countries, creating additional momentum toward achieving common goals. It is encouraging that the number of Saudi citizen who are visiting Greece is growing, which is not only an unmistakable indicator of the increasing interest in tourism and business, but also, more importantly, of ever-closer contacts between the two peoples who are connected by historical and cultural ties of friendship.
May this friendship grow ever stronger.
