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Israel, Greek prime ministers showcase bilateral alliance

The visit in Israel of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reflects a growing convergence of interests between the two countries.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issue joint statements in Jerusalem, June 16, 2020. Debbie Hill/Pool via REUTERS - RC2BAH9GJTED

On his first trip abroad since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today in Jerusalem. Mitsotakis is the first leader to arrive in Israel since the pandemic began. The Greek prime minister arrived in the country heading a large official delegation — including five ministers who are scheduled to hold separate meetings with their Israeli counterparts. The visit constitutes the fourth Government-to-Government (G2G) forum. After the tete-a-tete encounter, a larger meeting was convened, where the two leaders signed three memorandums of understanding: one each on cyber, agriculture and tourism.

Iris Ambor, director of the Foreign Ministry’s Southern Europe Department, told journalists before the meetings, “We will discuss the peace plan of President [Donald] Trump, and we will talk about energy and the EastMed [gas pipeline project], [and about] stability in the Middle East with an emphasis on Iran and Lebanon.’’ She said the two leaders will discuss the coronavirus crisis and ways to put bilateral tourism back on track.

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