E. VENIZELOS: Mr. Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr. First Deputy Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to Greece, to Athens, to the Hellenic Parliament, on behalf of the Prime Minister of the government and the parties that comprise the parliamentary majority.
Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, the fact that you are elected and serve in the legislative bodies of your countries is a great honor and recognition for you personally, but also for Greece, as your country of origin.
Obviously – and rightly – you serve your countries and the citizens who honor you with their vote, but we are pleased and moved because you maintain your Hellenism, keeping your ties with Greece alive. You are the most select members of our communities abroad, the members who have democratic acceptance and legitimization. I ask you, please, ladies and gentlemen, to convey to the Greek communities in your countries a message of unity of Hellenism, recognition of the activities and successes of Hellenism abroad, and, most of all, a message of love.
The Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr. Evangelos Meimarakis, mentioned the importance to us of Hellenism abroad and the constitutional and, first and foremost, national and moral obligation the mother country has to do everything it can to cultivate its ties with Hellenism abroad. Hellenes abroad change the dimensions of our country, because global Hellenism is a real international force.
In this framework, the role of the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association is obviously particularly important, because you – those who have been elected to your countries’ parliaments – of Greek origin, politicians, make up a network with a great deal of influence. In actuality, the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association is an exceptionally interesting form of parliamentary diplomacy, and, naturally, you are the living bridge between your parliaments and the Hellenic Parliament.
Of course, as MPs of your countries, it is your duty to promote and implement your countries’ foreign policies. On the other hand, you are fully apprised of our pending national issues, the major fronts of Greek foreign policy. You are well aware of our positions on peace and stability in the wider region, you are very well informed on our positions on Greek-Turkish relations, the Cyprus issue, the situation in Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean. You know our positions on the European problem, the European crisis and the prospect of European integration. It is obvious to me, and I am sure, that you share the same assessment: that there is no conflict between your duty to promote your countries’ foreign policies while at the same time heralding spreading the message of Greek positions on various pending issues that Hellenism is confronting. There is no conflict, because Greek foreign policy is a policy of principles, it is based on international law, respect for human rights, good neighbourly relations, the ongoing pursuit of peace and stability in the wider region.
Over the past three years, Greece has lived through an open, multifaceted crisis, and the Greek people have had to make very harsh sacrifices. Given, of course, the high level of development that has been achieved by a country like Greece, a member, for decades now, of the European Union, and a member of the eurozone, Greece is going through a multifaceted crisis: fiscal, financial, growth – a crisis that is to a great extent institutional, political, social. This crisis, as you know, is not just a Greek crisis. It is a European crisis that has touched the core of the EU and the eurozone, and we are making coordinated efforts not just on the national level, but on the European level, to change interrelations, attitudes, perceptions – to overcome the obstacles, to be able to confront this crisis, providing an optimistic and tangible response for the Greek people and all the European peoples, who of course cannot endure another recession, high unemployment – especially high youth unemployment. They want us to give them back the right to have hopes and prospects.
We are grateful for the messages of solidarity and support from the Greek Diaspora to the Greek people. We appreciate every gesture more than you can know. I want to make it clear to you that the crisis we are experiencing cannot be confronted as a matter of a philanthropic nature through the network of the solidarity of Hellenism, because it is a profound problem of a developmental nature; development and communication, because Greece is very often the victim of negative stereotypes in the international debate. Thus, our problem must be confronted at its core, through investments, through reforms, through the promotion of privatizations, through the encouragement of tourist flows into Greece, and mainly through re-establishing the truth of what Greece is, who the Greeks are, because it is of very great importance that we rebuild the foundations of Greece stature, the stature of the Greek economy and, in the final analysis, the stature of Hellenism.
Unfortunately, the crisis in Greece is now also accompanied by the ongoing, acute crisis in Cyprus, the other great state pillar of Hellenism. Despite the economic crisis in Cyprus, the major issue there continues to be the political issue: the ongoing violation of international law, and the great objective is a just and viable solution within the framework of the relevant UN resolutions.
Our colleague Mr. Sakis Gerontopoulos is taking up the duties of Deputy Foreign Minister for Hellenism Abroad, and I am sure that you will have many useful meetings with him. Our goal is to contribute to the revision of the organizational framework of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad. We must encourage self-organization, self-funding, and ensure the potential for all Greeks abroad to be members of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad. More than ever before, the crisis has pointed up the importance of national unity and political stability. A few days ago, the realignment of the powers in the government and the government majority, and the decision of New Democracy and Pasok to continue our task until the end of this four-year term, sent a message that corresponds to the aspirations of Greece’s citizens. I am certain that this message has also been taken in the right way by international public opinion, because our government – the country, that is – has a clear national strategy within Europe. We are defending our national sovereignty and pursuing the rehabilitation of our institutional equality within Europe and the eurozone.
Of course, in recent years we have had to make difficult choices. There was never an alternative plan – this has proven to be the case. The so-called existence of a Plan B was a hoax, a delusion. The interrelations within Europe, as I said earlier, must be reshaped, but there is no better arena for us than the European arena, and this – I am now addressing our colleagues from the other side of the Atlantic – concerns what is called the “western economy” in its entirety. We had to avoid the worst, we avoided the worst. Now we are going through the phase of stabilizing the Greek economy, and the next objective, of course, is to redress the sacrifices and regain the competitive position that Greece and Hellenism deserve.
With these thoughts, and mainly with these aspirations of yours, I welcome you and wish you every success in the proceedings of your General Assembly. I am addressing parliamentary colleagues who are fully aware of the political and social reality and of the sensitive manner in which citizens react in all these countries and societies. So you understand what a great burden is being borne right now by the Hellenic Parliament and the Greek government, and I thank you in advance for all of your support. I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to talk to you today.
July 2, 2013