PM meeting with PM Mitsotakis of Greece: 16 November 2021

The Prime Minister welcomed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Downing Street today.

The leaders began by emphasising the value of the UK-Greek relationship as we mark the 200th anniversary of Greece’s war of independence. They agreed to work to strengthen it further in areas including trade, education and tourism. The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Mitsotakis welcomed the fact that our countries’ vaccine rollouts have enabled travel to resume between the UK and Greece.

The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Mitsotakis welcomed the success of the COP26 Summit and the ambitious international commitments to reach net zero carbon emissions. They discussed the important role technology such as wind power can play in providing clean and renewable sources of energy.

The Prime Minister raised his concerns with the current implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol by the EU. He stressed that there are still significant gaps between our positions and that it remains our preference to find a consensual way forward.

The leaders discussed a number of other issues including the situation in Cyprus, Libya and their shared concern about Bosnia and Herzegovina. On Cyprus, both leaders agreed on the importance of all parties working together to reach a lasting settlement.

Finally, Prime Minister Mitsotakis raised the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures. The Prime Minister said that he understood the strength of feeling of the Greek people on this issue, but reiterated the UK’s longstanding position that this matter is one for the trustees of the British Museum. The leaders agreed that this issue in no way affects the strength of the UK-Greece partnership.