As business leaders gather in Riyadh this week for the Saudi-Greek Business Council, the timing could not be more fitting to reflect on one of the Eastern Mediterranean’s most dynamic and fast-evolving partnerships. The relationship between Greece and Saudi Arabia – once defined largely by commerce and maritime exchange – has now transformed into a multidimensional alliance encompassing energy, technology, defense, and investment. What began as a pragmatic bond between merchants and engineers is maturing into a strategic compact anchored in connectivity and mutual ambition.

For centuries, Greek ships carried more than just cargo; they carried influence, innovation, and the spirit of exchange. Today, that same legacy sails on, but along different routes – through fiber-optic cables, energy interconnectors, and diplomatic channels linking Athens and Riyadh. What was once a trade relationship between ports has become a strategic alignment between powers.

The evolution of this alliance reached a defining moment with the launch of the Supreme Strategic Cooperation Council earlier this year, co-chaired by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This body – the first of its kind between Greece and any Middle Eastern state – formalizes their cooperation across energy, investment, defense, and education. It represents the institutionalization of what had long been an organic relationship built on mutual economic interest and trust.

Athens sees the council as a vehicle for anchoring Greece’s role as Europe’s southeastern gateway – a position reinforced by geography, history, and infrastructure. For Riyadh, it serves as an instrument for advancing Vision 2030, the Kingdom’s national strategy for economic diversification and global integration.

Energy remains the backbone of the relationship, though its meaning is shifting rapidly in the era of transition. The Saudi-Greek Interconnection Project – a planned 3-gigawatt electricity link – aims to transmit competitively priced power from Saudi Arabia to Europe via Greece. Initially gas-generated and later renewable, it could become the first direct energy bridge between the Gulf and the European Union.

For Greece, the interconnection reinforces its role as an energy hub, complementing its existing connections with Egypt, Cyprus, and Israel. For Saudi Arabia, it represents a strategic step into Europe’s clean energy markets,........

© Blitz