Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias addressed the Online Conference of the Hellenic Society of the London School of Economics and Political Science on the topic of ‘Greece 2021: Reflecting on yesterday, Shaping tomorrow’.
In his speech, the Minister of Foreign Affairs referred to the current priorities of Greek foreign policy, highlighting the 3 variable factors that must be taken into account at this time:
• Established powers, such as the USA, and emerging powers – such as China, India, Russia and post-Brexit Great Britain as well.
• The rising instability in the Eastern Mediterranean region, caused in large part by Turkish actions. In this context, he stressed that, what is being seen is the continuation of inflammatory rhetoric emanating from Turkish officials on one hand and the continuation of Turkey's aggressive actions in the broader region on the other. He also stressed that these actions include the illegal deployment of Turkish military forces in sovereign states such as Cyprus, Libya, Iraq and Syria.
• Developments in the Western Balkans, the Middle East and the Gulf, with special reference to the Western Balkans’ European perspective and to the new conditions created by the Abraham Accords in the Middle East.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also emphasised the two fundamental pillars of the Greek foreign policy: rock-solid commitment to international Law and the UN Charter, and commitment to multilateralism, as exemplified by Greece's engagement in international organizations, including the European Union, NATO and the Council of Europe.
He underscored that Greece promotes peace and the resolution of any pending differences on the basis of International Law, making special reference to the agreements on the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zones with Italy and Egypt, and the agreement with Albania to refer this issue to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. He stressed that Greece hopes to resolve, always on the basis of International Law, the dispute on the delimitation of the EEZ and continental shelf in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean with Turkey as well.
He also referred to Greece’s support on Western Balkans countries’ EU accession, noting that strengthening bilateral relations with these countries is a priority in order to create an environment of cooperation in multiple areas of common interest.
He noted that Greece aims to become a bridge between Europe on one hand, and the Middle East and the Gulf on the other, underscoring, however, that Greece also wants to strengthen its cooperation with African and Asian countries.
Finally, he referred to Greece’s relations with its traditional allies, such as Great Britain and the USA, as well as the country’s desire to further strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation with other countries as well.
Read the complete transcript of the Foreign Minister’s remarks here.
March 6, 2021