A series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from countries with a pivotal role in international shipping was held by the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Vasilis Kikilias, in London where he is attending the 34th regular session of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
In his meeting with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the United States for Transportation, Economics, Energy, and Business, Marco M. Sylvester, a few months after their meeting in Washington in September, the two sides discussed the excellent cooperation between Greece and the USA in the shipping sector, both on a bilateral and multilateral level – and particularly within the IMO – which is intensifying at a rapid pace, as their countries still have much to offer in this pivotal sector for the economy and development.
This was followed by a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Transport of Saudi Arabia, Dr Rumaih Al-Rumaih, during which it was noted that the Greece-Saudi Arabia relationship has been upgraded rapidly in recent years, as recent high-level visits also demonstrate.
Mr. Kikilias expressed his appreciation for the significant achievements of Saudi Arabia in the field of tourism, while the two sides discussed the importance of the traditionally mutual support of their candidacies in the IMO, the need to safeguard maritime security in the Red Sea, as well as the common desire to further enhance cooperation in the fields of shipping, ports, and cruising.
In his next bilateral contact, he met with the Minister of Transport of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Thani, with whom they discussed the development of mutually beneficial partnerships in the field of shipping and ports, as well as the cooperation of the two countries within the framework of the IMO.
Subsequently, in his meeting with the Vice Minister of Transport of China, Li Yang, the strong relationship of the two countries in the shipping sector and ways to further strengthen it were discussed, while the two sides agreed on the importance of exchanging views within the framework of the IMO, due to the high percentage of the global commercial fleet that the two countries represent.
Finally, the minister hosted a working lunch for his Mediterranean counterparts — the Deputy Minister of Shipping of Cyprus, Marina Hatzimanoli, the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works of Malta, Chris Bonett, and the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Italy, Edoardo Rixi — during which the common approach to the challenges and priorities of European and international shipping was confirmed.
The Mediterranean countries, which represent a significant percentage of global and European ship ownership and possess deep tradition and expertise in the sector, underlined the value of close cooperation to ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of shipping, while Mr. Kikilias thanked his counterparts for the fruitful and constructive discussion, stressing that they are fellow travelers of Greece in the common future efforts.
