Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is in Riyadh on a highly confidential mission, visiting Saudi Arabia under tight security, with the trip having gone officially unannounced for obvious security reasons given the situation in the region.

The prime minister has visited Saudi Arabia several times in recent years, but this trip carries particular significance in light of recent geopolitical developments. Mitsotakis also maintains a direct line of communication with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

The timing of the visit is far from coincidental. Saudi Arabia has recently joined forces with Turkey and Pakistan under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, while the kingdom itself has become a theatre of military operations amid the ongoing war in the Gulf.

At the same time, the controversial Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum, recently ratified by the parliament in Benghazi, remains fresh in Athens’ calculations. Greece is therefore seeking to respond to developments on the geopolitical chessboard, reopening discussions with Egypt on extending their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) agreement and activating its alliances across the wider region.

Another crucial aspect of the visit concerns the Greek Patriot air defence missile battery deployed on Saudi Arabian soil, which has provided critical support to the kingdom’s defence.

Until recently, amid developments surrounding the Mecca defence pact, Athens had maintained that the continued presence of the Greek unit would be reassessed monthly. However, indications now suggest that the deployment could be extended under a more long-term arrangement.

Defence Minister Nikos Dendias also recently visited Saudi Arabia, where he met Mohammed bin Salman and the officers of the Hellenic Force in Saudi Arabia (ELDYSA) at their deployment site. Saudi Arabia has also settled outstanding financial obligations relating to the mission.

As a result, Athens believes there is no reason to withdraw a military asset that plays a significant role in shaping bilateral relations and giving them greater strategic substance.

Mitsotakis had, in any case, originally planned to travel to Riyadh for the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council summit, which would normally have taken place today.

However, the escalating crisis in the Middle East forced a change of plans, leading to the postponement of the summit, whose previous meeting was held in Brussels two years ago.

That change, however, appears not to have altered the Greek prime minister’s own plans to visit Saudi Arabia.