Deputy FM Haskel Seeks to Strengthen Israel-Greece Ties

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel will travel to Athens on Tuesday for a diplomatic and economic visit aimed at strengthening Israel’s strategic partnership with Greece and Cyprus.

The visit will focus on regional infrastructure, energy security, transportation links and defense cooperation, as Israel seeks to deepen its ties with Greece amid growing instability in the Middle East and pressure on global shipping routes.

Haskel is expected to serve as a keynote speaker at major economic forums in Athens, including the Maritime Med conference and the Eastern Mediterranean Energy Transition Summit.

She will also hold meetings with senior Greek officials, including Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry official Konstantinos Kyranakis, and Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Harry Theoharis.

The talks are expected to focus on major regional projects, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, known as IMEC, and the Great Sea Interconnector, a planned undersea electricity project linking the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe.

Haskel is also expected to discuss security cooperation, joint efforts to combat antisemitism, and what Israel describes as institutional bias against it in international forums.

The visit comes as Israel and Greece continue to expand their diplomatic, economic and security coordination. Both countries have emphasized the importance of Eastern Mediterranean partnerships in energy, trade and regional stability, particularly as the war with Iran and the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz have renewed attention on supply chains and freedom of navigation.

Haskel is also scheduled to meet with leaders of the Jewish community in Athens.

“The partnership with Greece is an anchor of stability in a complex regional reality,” Haskel said before the visit.

She said recent events had shown that threats to freedom of navigation and supply chains by radical actors were not theoretical, but a tangible danger.

“In this reality, energy security is national security,” Haskel said. “The visit to Athens is intended to accelerate strategic infrastructure projects, first and foremost the IMEC corridor, that will turn Israel and Greece into a stable and reliable junction connecting the East to Europe, and ensure our economic and security resilience.”