«Umbrella agreement between Greece and the United Kingdom

Greece and the United Kingdom are working towards a strategic partnership that will cover all areas of cooperation and will be the starting point for new bilateral relations in the post-Brexit era, British diplomatic sources say, following the recent meeting of Foreign Ministers Nikos Dendias and Dominique Raab in London.

This is an «umbrella agreement» covering cooperation in the fields of defence, security, tourism, education, trade, culture, counter-terrorism, which is expected to be concluded in the coming months and will be coordinated by the two foreign ministries.

The other pillar of the contacts that the Greek Foreign Minister had with his British counterpart and the Minister of State for European Neighbourhood and America concerned the situation in the East Bank. The second part of the meeting was devoted to the situation in the Mediterranean and the prospects for a solution to the Cyprus problem.

Mr Raab «warmly welcomed the exploratory contacts» between Greece and Turkey and expressed the view that «de-escalating tensions and avoiding provocations» would be important preconditions for the successful outcome of the contacts.

The same sources pointed out that due to the very good relations between the UK and Turkey, the UK can pass messages to Ankara for the benefit of Greece, Cyprus and Turkey, given that now that the UK is not part of the EU, it has more room for independent foreign policy.

Cyprus

After the meeting with Mr.Dendias in London, Mr.Rabb visited Cyprus with the wish, which he expressed to the Greek Foreign Minister, «that the UK should contribute as a guarantor power and to the extent of its capabilities» to the resolution of the Cyprus problem.

Mr Raab confirmed to his Greek counterpart that the UK supports a solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation and in accordance with the UN resolutions, in which - as diplomatic sources say - there is room for specificity. Indeed, the UK will support the solution agreed by the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides and the other two guarantor powers.

The UK's position, according to the same diplomatic sources, is that the governance of the island will only be a matter for the two communities, while the British side has a say on security issues, considering the guarantee regime «obsolete».

Also, in the context of pursuing security and stability in the region, the UK «wants a solution» to the Cyprus problem and expresses «optimism» for the convening of the informal five-party meeting expected for the beginning of March, while the question is whether this meeting will trigger the start of the talks process and whether the new starting point will have reference to the framework of the UN Secretary General.

Defence - Ann. Mediterranean

Defence and security are key arms of the new strategic partnership as well as of the Framework Agreement that the two sides are expected to sign.

The text on defence cooperation is already ready and is being reviewed with a view to updating it in the light of the recent meeting between the two Foreign Ministers.

The UK also wants to have a greater presence in the East. Mr Raab has asked Mr Dendias for this, according to the same sources. In this spirit, he is expected in the summer in Piraeus and from there on a route to the Middle East. The new aircraft carrier Queen Elisabeth and her escort, which will participate in military exercises with friendly countries during its journey, will arrive in the summer in Piraeus and from there to the Mediterranean and Asia.

The UK has also expressed interest in participating in the Greek government's military equipment programme, particularly with the «Type 31» frigates.

Tourism

Greece is among the top tourist destinations for the British, who rank second in the total number of foreign visitors to Greece. At this time of pandemic, the UK is considering the possibility of issuing a certificate, in the spirit of the Greek Prime Minister, which would facilitate tourism in the summer.

The British side also points out that under the new post-Brexit rules, the stay in the UK can be extended up to 6 months without a visa, while the stay of university graduates can be extended for two years and that of PhD holders for three years.

The British side's aim, which is expected to be reflected in the planned educational cooperation agreement, is to facilitate the stay of Greek students, academics and researchers, while the Greek side wishes to attract English-speaking students to Greek universities.

In response to Covid-19, the UK is showing its leadership in the COVAX scheme with half a billion pounds against a total of one billion raised to provide 1 billion doses of vaccines to 92 poor countries.

Regarding the high vaccination rate achieved by the UK population compared to other European countries, the diplomatic sources stress that “the British government moved very early to sign contracts with many pharmaceutical companies” including Astrazeneca and that the Oxford research was financed by public funds.

Nina Melissova