Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ statement to Greek journalists following his meetings in Nigeria (Abuja, 10.01.2022)

I had the pleasure of visiting Abuja, the capital of Nigeria today. I would like to note that this is the first visit of a Greek Minister to Nigeria ever. And that is something that should be underlined considering the fact that Nigeria is the country with the largest population and the largest economy in Africa.

I had the opportunity, upon the instruction of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to deliver to the Nigerian side a Greek donation of 907,000 vaccine doses against COVID-19, in fulfillment of the special obligation that the Greek Government feels it has to provide assistance wherever and however it can so that this global threat can be addressed.

In addition, there were a series of interesting discussions as well, including with my counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and with the Vice President of Nigeria, primarily on issues concerning security, namely both the safety of navigation and the fight against terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa.

We also touched upon issues related to the International Law of the Sea, and, in general, the adherence to International Law, the development of our economic relations, the preparation for the signing of a number of Protocols, following the Cooperation Protocol that I signed today. Furthermore, I would like to thank the Nigerian side for its support in Greece’s efforts to be elected to the United Nations Security Council.

I would like to say that Nigeria is a country that presents a huge opportunity for Greece, given that there has been a very large Greek business community here for many decades. We can, therefore, build a close cooperation on this solid basis, which will help both Nigeria and our country to grow beyond our given boundaries. It will provide the Greek economy, Greek shipping, Greek entrepreneurship the opportunity to grow beyond our given boundaries on the unique and large developing continent of Africa.