Greek Foreign Minister visits Madagascar
Greece’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias will meet with his Malagasy counterpart Richard James Randriamandrato today.
The meeting is part of Dendias’ busy travel week, which saw him link up with numerous state officials from other countries to consolidate bilateral ties. The meeting will take place before the Ancient Civilizations Forum, where Dendias is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This is an important foreign policy initiative for Athens as it aims to gain the diplomatic support amidst the increasing arms race and economic zone dispute with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Athens aims to obtain diplomatic leverage in regional matters that are of high national interest. This initiative will help Athens secure additional votes in upcoming UN meetings regarding exclusive economic rights in the Eastern Mediterranean and further secure its position in the region. Therefore, expect Dendias to increase Greece’s official state meetings with other state representatives during the short- to medium-term. However, Athens’ foreign policy move will likely result in a backlash from neighboring Ankara. In this case, expect Turkey to engage in further unilateral actions in the Aegean Sea—such as conducting additional seismic searches in disputed waters— to provoke Athens.
