Visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed implementation of the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), the energy impact of the continuing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and developments in the eastern Mediterranean, Iran and the Middle East, during talks in Paris on Wednesday.
However, the epicenter of the meeting was Greece’s high-profile participation at the International Space Station for the first time with an astronaut from the country.
Alongside the two leaders was Adrianos Golemis, a 40-year-old physician born in Larissa who holds a master’s degree in space science from the International Space University in Strasbourg.
Golemis will be part of the crew of the PAM-6 mission, making him the first Greece-born astronaut to travel to space. The crew was presented in Paris during the International Space Summit. A French astronaut will serve as mission commander, alongside astronauts from the Czech Republic and another European country.
The mission will be carried out by U.S. space company Vast in cooperation with the European Space Agency and NASA, with the PAM-6 launch scheduled for the second half of 2027.
Introducing Golemis, Mitsotakis said Greece had had no presence in space until a few years ago and lacked both a space program and a national space strategy. Greece now has 18 satellites in orbit and is developing its own satellite manufacturing ecosystem, he said, while also bringing Greek professionals with space-sector experience back to the country.
Mitsotakis said Golemis would not only conduct experiments aboard the International Space Station but also serve as an inspiration to Greek children to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics, “dream again” and move away from screens.
Discussion on array of issues
The meeting at the Elysee Palace followed Mitsotakis’ visit to Egypt on Tuesday, where he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. The two leaders exchanged views on regional developments, with Mitsotakis briefing Macron on his discussions in El Alamein with the Egyptian and Cypriot presidents.
A key issue was the next stage of the GSI, the planned electricity interconnection between Greece and Cyprus, following an agreement for French investment group Meridiam to become the majority shareholder in Great Sea Interconnector, the company that was originally designated to develop the project.
The project has gained renewed momentum following Meridiam’s entry. Christodoulides said Wednesday that Cyprus was closer than ever to implementation of the interconnector, describing Meridiam’s involvement as decisive for both its financial and geopolitical dimensions.
Mitsotakis also raised the impact of the continuing crisis in the Strait of Hormuz on energy costs and stressed the need for initiatives at the European Union level to address the resulting pressures.
The talks also covered efforts by Greece and France to restrict social media access for children under 15. The issue was discussed after Macron recently urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to pursue an EU-wide ban on social media access for under-15s.
Macron’s proposal followed the failure of France’s national legislation after the country’s Constitutional Council struck it down. The French president has called for a common EU legislative framework, while the European Commission has been considering a graduated approach to restricting young children’s access to social media.
The meeting came as Greece and France seek to strengthen coordination on regional security, energy and connectivity. Same-day Greek media reports confirmed that the GSI, the Eastern Mediterranean, Iran and the Hormuz crisis were among the central issues discussed at the Elysee Palace.
