Athens: Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister, announced the launch of a major investment project in Greece at a total cost of €7 billion (Dh35.67 billion).
The joint venture project involves the development of the old airport in Athens in several phases. Once completed, the project is expected to offer more than 50,000 jobs.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Council, meanwhile, has announced that it is bidding to buy the prestigious resort of Esther Palace. It also signed a framework agreement on exploration of avenues of investment opportunities in the field of energy.
Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) and Greek Terna Energy Company will sign a cooperation agreement on energy.
The agreements were announced as Shaikh Abdullah and Greek Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelo opened the second meeting of the UAE-Greece joint committee in Athens yesterday.
Pace of progress
In a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart at the end of the meeting, Shaikh Abdullah expressed his pleasure at the pace of progress being achieved in the development of UAE-Greece ties, and his confidence that his talks with senior Greek officials would contribute to the advancing of good bilateral ties.
‘’Diplomatic ties between the UAE and Greece have been rapidly evolving since the early 1970s, and took a new turn when the UAE opened its embassy in Athens in 2008, and Greece opened its embassy in Abu Dhabi in 1989.’’ he said.
Shaikh Abdullah noted that the current second meeting of the UAE-Greece Joint Ministerial Committee in Athens underlines the vibrancy of the diplomatic ties between the two countries, which began in 1975.
With 14 flights by Emirates and Etihad Airways per week to Greece, the UAE minister said tourism was showing a marked increase.
More than 6,900 Greek tourists visited the UAE in 2013. Over 3,354 Greek citizens are living and working in the UAE while Greece is a favourite destination for UAE tourists.
— WAM
