The “Greek spring” with the Gulf Arabs: today Mitsotakis in Abu Dhabi

The continuation of discussions astatine the level of method committees, successful bid to motorboat bilateral practice successful the coming play successful the fields of the defence manufacture and the Armed Forces, was the contiguous result of the authoritative sojourn of the Emir of Qatar to Athens earlier this week, reflecting the importantly upgraded representation of Greece successful the eyes of the Arab world.

At the aforesaid time, successful an ambiance of hostility and uncertainty successful the wider Gulf region, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is visiting the United Arab Emirates today, successful a sojourn overshadowed by planetary tensions and heightened alert.

The Prime Minister’s sojourn is not lone diplomatic but besides symbolic, fixed the backdrop successful which it takes place, arsenic Abu Dhabi—with its ample infrastructure projects and cautiously structured, bustling avenues—has been nether heightened alert successful the past 24 hours. The Greek Prime Minister volition conscionable the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, astatine the statesmanlike palace—a gathering expected to corroborate the strategical quality of Greek-Emirati relations, with absorption connected practice successful the defence and vigor sectors.

The gathering primitively scheduled for February was postponed owed to the Emirati president’s unwellness and has since remained pending, contempt geopolitical developments making it astir urgent.

The operational readiness of the Greek Ministry of Defence, successful airy of Cyprus’ defence enactment and, supra all, the beardown show and effectiveness of Greek aerial defence successful the wider Middle East, has been highly appreciated by almighty determination players, astatine a clip erstwhile the Southeastern Mediterranean is entering a caller phase.

Absences and disappointment

In this shifting and fluid environment, the communal presumption among Arab officials and diplomats is that “Greece did much than anyone could person imagined successful the situation (referring to Iran), particularly successful aerial defense,” a cognition that has reached each cardinal decision-making centers successful the region.

Greek antiaircraft and interception capabilities are frankincense seen arsenic a affirmative astonishment for galore Gulf countries, immoderate of which are intimately observing Athens adjacent astatine a determination level.

In particular, Greece’s show is being compared with different powers successful the Eastern Mediterranean, immoderate of which were notably absent—such as, according to some, Turkey—causing disappointment and interest among Arab states that came nether dense rocket and drone attacks from Iran.

This is particularly notable fixed Qatar and Turkey’s adjacent defence cooperation, arsenic Ankara maintains a subject basal successful the country, alongside broader alignment connected assorted issues successful caller years.

Opportunities and OPEC

Against this backdrop, Greece’s rising illustration successful the Middle East creates caller opportunities for its home defence industry, led by the anti-drone strategy “KENTAVROS,” which has repeatedly demonstrated its operational capability, arsenic good arsenic the Patriot artillery deployed successful Saudi Arabia. This added defence worth constitutes intangible credibility for Greece among Arab states, which are presently showing a beardown inclination toward fragmentation.

The strategy “KENTAVROS” is an anti-drone strategy susceptible of detecting and neutralizing hostile drones done physics interference. It is the effect of practice betwixt the Hellenic Center for Defense Innovation and the Hellenic Aerospace Industry.

A cardinal improvement was the distancing of the United Arab Emirates from OPEC, a historical determination assessed arsenic highly important by Greek equipped forces officials.

France besides successful the picture

The strengthening of bilateral relations betwixt Greece and the UAE besides carries a French dimension, arsenic Paris already maintains 3 subject bases successful the country, which it defended from Iranian ballistic rocket attacks.

At the aforesaid time, France’s enactment successful the Eastern Mediterranean, on with the coordinated attack of French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, adds further worth for the Arab satellite regarding the relation some countries are trying to play successful the portion pursuing the Iran conflict.

France is expected to motion a defence statement with Cyprus successful June (Status of Forces Agreement – SOFA), further deepening bilateral defence cooperation. The statement volition supply for expanded subject cooperation, associated exercises, and the beingness of French forces successful Cyprus for “humanitarian purposes,” reshaping determination powerfulness balances successful the Eastern Mediterranean.