Greek and Tanzanian Foreign Ministers to meet
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will meet with Tanzanian Foreign Minister Liberata Mulamula today.
The meeting follows Dendias’ meeting with Malagasy Foreign Minister Richard James Randriamandrato. Dendias has met with a number of his counterparts and other state officials during the 77th Session of the UN General Assembly in an effort to improve bilateral ties. In addition to fostering trade relations, the current energy crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will likely emerge as a point of interest for the two countries.
European countries have sought alternate energy supplies following the loss of access to Russian oil and gas. Coal has arisen as a cheap, short-term alternative to gas, particularly from Tanzania. Earlier this year, Tanzanian coal penetrated the European market with a shipment of Tanzanian coal sent to the Netherlands. Greece has also returned to coal production, ramping up mining of the fossil fuel in a bid to reduce gas dependence.
The rise in coal production for both countries marks a brief pause in international energy transitions towards renewables like solar and hydropower. Although coal makes up a very small percentage of Tanzanian exports to Greece, the two coal-producers will develop closer ties in order to fill in the gaps in Europe’s energy crisis.
