UAE National Day Celebration in Athens underscores deepening strategic partnership with Greece

The strong strategic alliance between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Hellenic Republic was placed in the spotlight as the UAE Embassy in Athens hosted a grand reception at the “One&Only Aesthesis” hotel in Glyfada to mark the nation’s 54th National Day (Eid Al Etihad).

The celebration drew a distinguished crowd, including prominent Greek politicians, diplomats, business leaders, members of the scientific community, and diplomatic correspondents.

Minister Dendias: Architect of Alliance and Guest of Honor

The UAE’s Ambassador to Athens, Dr. Ali Obaid Al Dhaheri, extended a warm welcome to the guests, reserving a special acknowledgment for the Guest of Honor, Hellenic Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias.

A Vision of Unity and Global Leadership

Ambassador Al Dhaheri’s address, delivered under the theme “United,” highlighted the UAE’s remarkable journey since 1971 under the guidance of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

He emphasized that the founder’s belief that “building people is the foundation for building a nation” continues to drive national development through long-term strategies such as We the UAE 2031 and UAE Centennial 2071, focusing on sustainability, economic diversification, innovation, and human development.

The Ambassador noted the declaration of 2025 as the “Year of Community,” underscoring social cohesion in a nation recognized as a global model of coexistence, with more than 200 nationalities living peacefully within its borders.

Economic Powerhouse and Tech Hub

Dr. Al Dhaheri presented compelling figures reflecting the UAE’s rapid global growth, noting that non-oil foreign trade reached €401 billion in the first half of the year, a doubling over five years.

◾The UAE ranked second globally in new foreign direct investment projects.

◾The nation is expanding international cooperation through 31 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements.

Innovation was highlighted as central to progress, with Dubai and Abu Dhabi ranking highly in the Smart Cities Index, and the UAE leading the region in the AI Government Readiness Index.

This year saw the launch of Falcon Arabic, the first high-performance Arabic AI model, alongside the announcement of the world’s largest joint AI complex with the United States.

Strengthening Greece-UAE Ties

The Ambassador strongly affirmed the expanding relations between the UAE and Greece, built on shared interests and a joint vision for regional stability and prosperity.

He pointed to concrete steps in the economic partnership, including:

◾A €200 million investment partnership agreement between Mubadala and the Greek Development Bank for Investments in advanced technology and AI.

◾An announced agreement between Masdar and the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy regarding green island projects.

◾The €3.2 billion energy cooperation deal between Masdar and TERNA Energy.

Concluding his remarks, Dr. Al Dhaheri underscored the UAE’s commitment to building bridges and contributing to global peace and development, inviting the business community to view the UAE as an eager partner for innovation and long-term collaboration.