Joint statements of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Venizelos and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, before their meeting in Berlin (11 December 2014)

Steinmeier F.-W. STEINMEIER: I remember my visit, during the first days of my second term in the Foreign Ministry, when we met in Athens – that I assured you that Germany would continue to provide its support to the courageous Greek reform course.

I am pleased – and you more than I – at the fact that real progress was made. In these recent months, not to say years, progress was made; progress that we respect and acknowledge. Now we are in a position that took us all a little by surprise. Greece is facing major decisions that we in Germany are following with great attention. I want to say, for our part, that it is important that the forces that ensured the progress in Greece in recent weeks and months are in a position to continue this course. And, mainly, during these difficult times, that they remain united, so that they can complete the change that has already taken place in Greece.

I am pleased that we did not discuss only economic or fiscal issues, and we were not limited to those today. We talked about a number of European issues and, of course, the positive course of our bilateral cooperation. We have regular, high-level meetings, under the coordination of the two Foreign Ministries. We have the Greek-German partnership, we have joint programmes, as in the sectors of development, health, strengthening credit for SMEs in Greece. We want to continue this relationship.

But naturally we have to talk about the crisis all around us, the situation in the Middle East, which is cause for great concern. We are just getting back from a meeting with the NATO Foreign Ministers, who agreed on the fight against ISIS. I think one needs to be careful with regard to the assessment that the international cooperation for confronting the fast spread of ISIS was successful, mainly in Iraq, where our goal is to slow it down, to stop it. We are naturally a long way from political solutions. This is true regarding both Iraq and, mainly, Syria. At the same time, we have to look at what is happening right now in Libya, with the international efforts of the UN special envoys, which are having no success as long as the difference in opinions prevails and there isn’t the will for talks. And now there are fears that the various ethnic groups in Libya, which are faced off against each other and continue to fight, will make a political solution even more difficult to achieve.

E. VENIZELOS: I am reciprocating the visit you paid to Athens just after taking up your duties; a visit that underscored the German government’s great interest in developments in Greece.

After five years of immense efforts and huge sacrifices by the Greek people, Greece really has changed the situation. It can show impressive fiscal and macroeconomic results. It can show a positive growth rate, within a stagnant European environment. It can show an impressive primary surplus – among the best in the world. I can show a strong banking sector that needs no further recapitalization. It can show a current account balance that has gone from negative to positive, and this shows the positive change that has happened in the Greek economy’s competitiveness.

But now, when we are one step away from completing the EU and IMF support programme for Greece, now that we are one step away from turning the page and transitioning to a new status of a precautionary line of credit, we have to clear the political horizon. Because the political uncertainty is creating problems in our relations with the markets and in our relations with the partners, and it is making the negotiations more difficult.

The Prime Minister and I, as heads of the two parties in the coalition government, the government of national necessity, decided to move forward the process for the election of the President of the Republic by the Parliament. Our Constitution provides that a two-thirds majority is required in the first and second rounds of the vote, and that a three-fifths majority is required in the third round.

The third round will take place on 29 December, and we believe that the sense of duty of the Greek MPs will enable us to elect a President of the Republic consensually and avoid the early dissolution of the Parliament and early elections.

This will help the country. It will allow us to complete all of this process during the two-month period that has already been decided on by the Eurogroup. The Greek economy will have a period of 18 months before it, which will be the time in which it takes off, the time of real change for every Greek woman and man, for every business, for every household.

Naturally, if it doesn’t prove feasible to achieve this increased majority, we will go to elections, and every Greek will be called upon to make a choice of responsibility, a choice regarding the country’s fate, which must be a European fate, a fate of stability. Because it would be a shame if we ourselves were to cancel out the very great sacrifices of the Greek people.

I had the opportunity to learn from Finance Minister Schäuble and from Economy Minister Gabriel of the readiness of the Bundestag to ratify the Eurogroup decision for a two-month extension of the economic support programme, so that we can complete the negotiations and move into the new status of a precautionary line of credit.

And I want to thank the Federal Government and the German Bundestag in advance for this support and this act of solidarity.

We will talk about these things and, as Mr. Steinmeier said, about our bilateral relationship, our partnership, which is producing positive results under the coordination of the two Foreign Ministries.

We have already put together the Institute for Growth, which is an institution similar to Germany’s KfW. We have many important programmes under way in the energy sector, in the innovation sector. We have vast potential for cooperation between the two countries’ private sectors. And now, in the time opening up before us, we will obviously be able to do many more things jointly, in both Greece and Germany, as well as in third countries.

Naturally, as Foreign Ministers we meet almost every week in the framework of the EU, in the framework of NATO, in the framework of other organizations, like the OSCE. We are in ongoing contact and coordination, and Greece’s stance, to a very great degree, not to say absolutely, coincides with the stance, the perception and the mindset of Germany with regard to confronting the major pending crises.

Never before have we had so many crises in the EU’s Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods. Greece is very, very close to the Middle East, in is very close to the non-European countries of the Mediterranean. We have Greek communities, Greek Orthodox Patriarchates, we have Christian populations that are linked to Greece. For us, what is happening across the spectrum, from Gaza to Tripoli, is extremely important, with the war against ISIS being the number-one issue. And both of our countries, as members of NATO, are members of the coalition against ISIS, and we are taking all the necessary initiatives against the phenomenon of foreign fighters.

The same is happening with regard to the crisis in Ukraine and in EU-Russian relations. We have the same outlook, the same mindset, and for us it is very important that we take joint initiatives that will allow for a politico-diplomatic approach and the avoidance of escalation.

During this very critical time – critical economically and in terms of international politics – we must avoid additional tensions. Unfortunately, right now in the Eastern Mediterranean we have an additional tension with regard to Cyprus, with regard to the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, with regard to respect for the continental shelf and EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus. In our latest meetings with the Turkish government, at the highest level – with my visit to Ankara and with the Greek-Turkish High-Level Cooperation Council, in Athens, with both Prime Ministers in attendance – we took steps, but many more efforts are needed within the framework of international law.

So I am pleased that we will have the opportunity today, here in Berlin, to review all of these issues and coordinate so that we are walking in step.

December 11, 2014