Foreign Minister Kotzias participates in the sessions of the first day of the Spring Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of NATO member states (Brussels, 19 May 2016)

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias participated today in the sessions of the first day of the spring Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs.

The subject of the first session was NATO’s contribution to the international efforts to strengthen global security and stability. The discussion pointed up the importance of further strengthening the Alliance’s partnerships, as well as its assistance in the defence capacity building (DCB) efforts of vulnerable countries. Mr. Kotzias underscored the need to strengthen the political dialogue and cooperation with the partners of the Mediterranean Dialogue and with Egypt in particular.

Regarding the proposal for supporting Iraq through the provision of DCB, Mr. Kotzias supported a fact-finding mission to examine conditions on the ground and determine precise needs, also highlighting that care should be taken that the fight against terrorism not turn into a battle between Muslims and the west.

The Minister also made reference to the Alliance’s activities in the Aegean, stressing the importance of these activities in drastically reducing refugee flows. However, the way the NATO mission is operating substantially reduces the effectiveness of the Alliance’s activities.

Later in the day, Mr. Kotzias exchanged views with his NATO colleagues on the future of NATO-Russia relations. In this framework he stressed that Russia is an integral part of any security architecture system in Europe. Recognizing that Russia’s conduct creates challenges, he noted that Russia is part of the problem, but also, and at the same time, part of the solution. In light of this, he argued for the need to step up the Alliance’s efforts to develop a constructive dialogue with the Russian side, with the aim of Russia’s active involvement in the joint confrontation of serious international security challenges, such as terrorism.

In light of this, he proposed more frequent political dialogue meetings of the NATO-Russia Council, based on the April 2014 decision of Alliance Foreign Ministers. Further, he noted that, in order for this dialogue to effective, each side will have to listen to and understand the concerns and legal and positive aspirations of the other side.

Mr. Kotzias also underscored that measures for reducing risks and promoting transparency must be included in the NATO-Russia dialogue, bearing in  mind the conditions of increasing military capabilities of the two sides. Finally, he expressed the hope that Russia participate actively in the efforts to update the Vienna Document within the OSCE framework.