Foreign relations of Greece

Foreign relations of the Hellenic Republic are the Greek government's external relations with the outside world. As one of the oldest Euro-Atlantic member states in the region of Southeast Europe, Greece enjoys a prominent geopolitical role, due to its political and geographical proximity to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Its main allies are France, Italy, Bulgaria, the US, the other NATO countries like Albania, and the European Union.Greece also maintains strong diplomatic relations with Cyprus, Russia, Serbia, Armenia and Israel, while at the same time focuses at improving further the good relations with Egypt and the Arab World, Caucasus, and China. As member of both the EU and the Union for the Mediterranean, Greece is a key player in the eastern Mediterranean region and has encouraged the collaboration between neighbors, as well as promoting the Energy Triangle, for gas exports to Europe. Greece also has the largest economy in the Balkans, where it is an important regional investor.Prominent issues in Hellenic foreign policy include the claims in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean by Turkey, the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, and the dispute over the name of the Republic of Macedonia (recognized under the provisional denomination of ""former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"").