Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, at the Maximos Mansion in Athens this evening.

At the beginning of their meeting, the two officials had the following exchange:

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: “It is my pleasure to welcome you. You were here for a very important meeting, reaffirming the value of the trilateral cooperation between Greece, Cyprus, and Israel. However, let me once again emphasize the importance that both I and my government place on the strategic partnership between Greece and Israel.

This is a partnership that I believe should be further developed with the aim of achieving broader stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is also a partnership that I believe can bring significant added value to both our countries. I look forward to discussing in greater detail our further cooperation.”

Gideon Sa’ar: “Thank you, Prime Minister. I am pleased to be here. I believe that these are challenging times, which highlight the importance of our relationship. In today’s discussions, I think we were very practical in addressing how to move forward in various areas.

We appreciate your hospitality. We know that you are not only a friend of Israel—a great friend of Israel—but you come from a family with a legacy of friendship with the State of Israel and the Jewish people. We are grateful for this, we appreciate it, and we look forward to our continued collaboration.“