The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias made the following statement, in Abu Dhabi, regarding his meetings in the United Arab Emirates:

“I am in the United Arab Emirates, on my first visit here as Minister of Defence of the Hellenic Republic, after many other visits I have already paid under my previous capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

My visit is related to the application, the implementation of the agreement, which I had signed with Sheikh Abdullah on the cooperation with the United Arab Emirates on Joint Foreign Policy and Defence.

I had also the chance, yesterday, to meet Luigi di Maio, an old friend, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy and now Coordinator of the European Union on the Gulf region who informed me about the developments in the wider region.

Afterwards, I met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah and today I will meet my counterpart, the Minister of Defence, as well as cadres of the defence industry of the United Arab Emirates.

This agreement has already produced results. Hundreds of military officers of the United Arab Emirates are trained at premises of the Hellenic Aerospace Industry. There is also a very important investment of the Emirates in the base of Avlonas, for the quarters of these personnel. However, we are also looking forward to an even broader cooperation, to many joint exercises between the Armed Forces, such as between the Air Force of the two countries, as well as to the creation of an ecosystem of innovation with the United Arab Emirates too, as we have been also trying to create one with Israel, which will allow the exchange of expertise, the development of new products and the cooperation in the Hellenic defence industry and in the Hellenic military academies.”