Economic and investment cooperation between Greece and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has received a fresh boost following the 4th Greece-UAE Strategic Business Forum in Athens, which brought together more than 100 Greek and 60 Emirati companies.

Held during the visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and marking 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the forum saw progress on 15 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) covering a broad range of sectors, from major construction projects and investment to artificial intelligence, green energy, agri-food, pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

Particularly significant are the prospects for Greek and Emirati companies to join forces in bidding for major projects across the Middle East and North Africa, alongside plans to develop high-capacity digital infrastructure in Greece.

The central challenge, as highlighted during the forum, is to turn these agreements into tangible investments, productive economic activity and measurable results.

Closing the forum, Deputy Foreign Minister Haris Theocharis stressed that the true strength of a strategic partnership lies not merely in shared ambitions, but above all in the ability to translate them into lasting results.

Earlier, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who had welcomed the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince to the Maximos Mansion, praised the relationship between Greece and the UAE.

“We are partners who share common views and a common commitment to stability, as well as to economic openness and innovation,” Mitsotakis said.

Projects worth up to $10 billion on the table

In the infrastructure sector, National Projects & Construction LLC, a subsidiary of the UAE-based construction group Trojan, is pursuing the establishment of a joint venture with Archirodon, an international construction group with Greek roots.

The aim is to jointly bid for projects with a potential combined value of up to $10 billion across the Middle East and North Africa, a development that could strengthen the international presence of Greek engineering and construction businesses.

Meanwhile, cooperation between Mubadala Investment Company and the Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (HDBI) is continuing, while the possible participation of Greece’s sovereign wealth fund, Growthfund, is also under consideration.

The objective is to broaden investment synergies between the two countries and create new opportunities for joint initiatives.

Digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence featured prominently in the discussions, with particular emphasis on developing infrastructure that could strengthen Greece’s position as a regional technology hub.

At the centre of these plans is a partnership involving Core42, Khazna Data Centers and the Copelouzos Group to develop AI infrastructure with an initial power capacity of 24 megawatts (MW), expandable to 80 MW.

At the same time, Khazna is pursuing cooperation with Masdar Greece – TERNA ENERGY to develop green data centres, linking the expansion of digital infrastructure with the use of clean energy.

As part of the broader initiative, Minister of Digital Governance Dimitris Papastergiou signed agreements with Presight and Inception42, strengthening bilateral cooperation in digital technologies and AI applications.

The agreements build on the bilateral Greece-UAE agreement on Artificial Intelligence and Technology signed in May 2026, during Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s visit to Abu Dhabi.

New opportunities for Greek products

Significant opportunities are also emerging in the agri-food sector, with the aim of expanding the presence of Greek products in the UAE market and across the wider Gulf region.

International retail group Lulu Group International is pursuing partnerships to import products from Greek companies Oscar Chocolates and TOTTIS BINGO.

Meanwhile, Elite Agro, a UAE-based group specialising in agricultural production and agricultural technology, is advancing cooperation with RIVULIS in irrigation systems, while discussions are also under way with NOVATEC regarding fruit and vegetable sorting equipment.

These initiatives bring together Greek agricultural expertise and high-quality products with the extensive international distribution networks and technological capabilities of Emirati companies.

They also come at a time when food security and the efficient management of natural resources are becoming increasingly important strategic priorities across the region.

Partnerships in healthcare, pharmaceuticals and defence

In the healthcare sector, UAE-based group M42 is pursuing cooperation with Athens LifeTech Park, focusing on genomics, clinical research and precision medicine.

A memorandum of understanding is also planned between Serdal Holding and Greek pharmaceutical company ELPEN, aimed at exploring new business opportunities.

In the defence industry, Serdal Holding is also seeking cooperation with Greek defence equipment manufacturer ELMON S.A., expanding the scope of commercial and industrial ties between the two countries.

The institutional dimension of bilateral cooperation is set to be strengthened through a planned MoU between Enterprise Greece and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The agreement aims to facilitate business contacts, promote Greek exports and attract investment, providing a broader framework for closer commercial relations between Greece and the UAE.

Together, the 15 proposed agreements underline the growing breadth of the economic relationship between Athens and Abu Dhabi, extending well beyond traditional investment sectors into emerging technologies, industrial cooperation and strategic infrastructure.

The next test will be whether these initiatives can translate into completed projects, stronger trade flows and sustained investment activity in both countries.