Greece and Cyprus held separate high-level meetings with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi this week, as the United States moves to formally integrate the Eastern Mediterranean into the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
The diplomatic activity comes amid growing geopolitical competition over trade, energy and transport routes linking Europe, the Gulf and Asia.
Greece and Cyprus deepen Gulf partnerships
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met the UAE leader on May 6, becoming the first European Union leader to visit the Emirates following recent Iranian strikes on Emirati civilian infrastructure.
According to UAE state media, the talks focused on regional security, freedom of navigation, economic stability and strategic cooperation. Mitsotakis condemned the attacks and stressed the importance of diplomacy and international maritime law in safeguarding global trade and supply chains.
During the visit, Greece and the UAE signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence and Technology, exchanged by UAE Industry Minister Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber and Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis.
The following day, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides held separate talks with Sheikh Mohamed under the framework of the UAE-Cyprus Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The discussions covered investment, renewable energy, technology, education, tourism and trade relations, while Christodoulides also highlighted Cyprus’s current European Union Council Presidency and its role in strengthening EU-UAE cooperation.
Cyprus also condemned the Iranian attacks, describing them as violations of sovereignty, international law and the United Nations Charter.
US Senate pushes Eastern Mediterranean role in IMEC
The meetings coincided with a new bipartisan initiative in Washington aimed at strengthening the Eastern Mediterranean’s role within IMEC.
US Senators Cory Booker and Dave McCormick introduced the Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act on May 1.
The proposed legislation seeks to formalise US support for strategic infrastructure, ports and digital corridors across the Eastern Mediterranean as part of IMEC, the trade route launched during the 2023 G20 Summit in New Delhi.
The corridor aims to connect India with Europe through the Gulf region, linking Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Haifa before continuing to Piraeus and wider European markets.
The bill identifies Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Egypt and the UAE as key Eastern Mediterranean partners under US law and also calls for the revival of the “3+1” framework involving the United States, Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
Senator McCormick said recent regional tensions demonstrated the strategic importance of the Eastern Mediterranean.
“The Eastern Mediterranean is not on the sidelines of the Middle East,” he said, adding that regional allies had provided critical defence, intelligence and logistical support during recent crises.
Türkiye remains outside the corridor
A major geopolitical fault line surrounding IMEC remains the exclusion of Türkiye from the proposed route.
The current IMEC framework bypasses Turkish territory entirely, connecting Gulf states to Israel and Greece without an overland segment through Türkiye.
Ankara was not included in the original 2023 G20 memorandum establishing the corridor, nor is it listed among the Eastern Mediterranean countries named in the proposed US legislation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan previously argued that IMEC could not function effectively without Türkiye and announced plans to promote an alternative route.
That alternative, known as the Iraq-Türkiye Development Road, would connect Iraq’s Grand Faw Port in Basra to Türkiye and onward into Europe through a rail and highway network estimated at $17 billion.
The project is backed by Iraq, Türkiye, Qatar and the UAE following a preliminary agreement signed in Baghdad in 2024.
Corridor competition intensifies
While no formal corridor agreement emerged from the Abu Dhabi meetings, the timing highlights the increasingly strategic role of Greece and Cyprus in Gulf-Europe connectivity planning.
As the United States deepens support for Eastern Mediterranean infrastructure and energy links, analysts say the region is becoming central to broader geopolitical competition involving Europe, the Gulf, China, Iran and Türkiye.
The debate surrounding IMEC is no longer only about trade routes, but also about regional influence, energy security and long-term strategic alliances.
