Mitsotakis makes Israel his first destination

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is traveling to Israel today on his first foreign visit since the coronavirus outbreak. The message is clear, and it is being sent out in several directions. After deepening their mutually beneficial relationship (which is not aimed at any third country) for a decade, Greece and Israel are pushing ties to a new level.

Analysts tend to focus, and rightly so, on the geostrategic dimension. The maritime borders agreement between Turkey and Libya, the exploratory drilling in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone and plans for similar activities in other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean that border on Greek territorial waters, are all issues that will be on the agenda of talks between Mitsotakis, his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin.

But it is not just diplomatic and defense cooperation or plans for the...