In the wake of the tragic events in Lampedusa and Sicily, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos raised the issue of migrant flows in the Mediterranean at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, 21 October, in Luxembourg.
Mr. Venizelos stressed that the issue has been rendered extremely urgent, and that the EU is being called upon to show practical and direct solidarity in the framework of the principle of burden sharing. Due to its geographical position and extensive coastline, Greece is under ongoing and disproportionate pressure, and fully realizes the situation being faced by countries like Italy and Malta. With complete respect for the sovereign rights of member states, he underscored, a comprehensive European plan must be implemented on the ground. Mr. Venizelos coordinated his statements with the Prime Minister, who was carrying out a trip to Valetta and Rome on Monday, discussing the same issue ahead of the 24 October European Council.
Agreeing with Mrs. Ashton’s presentation on Egypt, Mr. Venizelos insisted on the need for the EU to contribute, through its stance, to the maintaining of stability and the implementation of the road map for the completion of the democratic processes that will ensure the participation of the whole of Egyptian society. As he pointed out, any instability in Egypt would have catalytic repercussions on all the open fronts in the wider region. In the context of his intervention on the issue of Egypt, Mr. Venizelos also briefed his colleagues on the trilateral Greek-Cypriot-Egyptian meeting carried out in New York on 22 September.
Referring to the issue of Syria, Mr. Venizelos underscored the importance of the Geneva II process as a means to achieving a political solution. As he stressed, the organization of the Geneva II conference reveals the complexity of the situation within the opposition and in the broader religious and ethnic stratification of the country. Consequently, direct action to confront the tragic humanitarian problems is a self-evident priority.
Finally, referring the European Neighbourhood Policy, Mr. Venizelos stressed that Greece, as the next Presidency, is prepared to work with High Representative Ashton and the Commission to implement the decisions to be taken at the 28 November Vilnius Summit Meeting on the Eastern Partnership.
October 21, 2013