Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met in London with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer.
The two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and expressed their mutual will to strengthen cooperation.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance that Greece attaches to Greek-British relations and noted that the meeting is an opportunity to give them a new impetus.
During the meeting, they discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral cooperation, with emphasis on the economy, shipping and tourism.
The two leaders also discussed the common challenge of migration, at the forefront of which is Greece as a European border and as a country of first reception.
The Prime Minister and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom also discussed coordination between the two countries in view of Greece’s tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2025-26 term, as well as EU-UK relations, the bolstering of which Greece supports, particularly in the fields of security and defence.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Sir Keir Starmer also exchanged views on regional and international issues with emphasis on the latest developments in Ukraine.
The Cyprus issue was also discussed. The Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction with the informal dinner of Mr. Christodoulides and Mr. Tatar under UN Secretary General António Guterres on 15 October in New York and stressed that he looked forward to the resumption of talks.
At the beginning of the meeting, the two leaders had the following dialogue:
Keir Starmer: Well, it’s absolutely fantastic to welcome you here to Downing Street to build on our strong bilateral relationship and to talk about our common issues. We’re very much looking forward to working with you in the UN in your new position as from a few weeks time. We’re closely aligned, so it’s a huge amount, I think, that we can build on already there, but for the future. So you’re very, very welcome here.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Well, thank you, Prime Minister. It’s a pleasure to be back, and we have lots of issues to discuss. These are very turbulent times, and we really like to build on the very strong partnership that our two countries have forged over many years. We do see the United Kingdom as integral in addressing the big security challenges that we’re facing, not just in Ukraine, but also in Southeastern Europe and the Middle East. We’ll have lots to talk about.
