Following the EU-Serbia Intergovernmental Conference that took place today, 21 January, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos held a press conference with Greek correspondents in Brussels. Below are Mr. Venizelos statements and his responses to questions from journalists:
E. VENIZELOS: We are close to the end of a complex political and diplomatic mission that started about 10 days ago and culminates tomorrow, with my participation in the Geneva II Conference, which is being convened by the UN Secretary General on the tragic crisis in Syria.
So tomorrow Greece will respond to the invitation extended to it by the UN, and will participate in this conference in Montreux, trying to contribute to the confronting of the major political and military issue Syria and the Syrian people have been facing for a very long time now, and also of the collateral impacts for civilians.
We will put special emphasis on the need to take immediate measures of a humanitarian nature. We will underscore the need, in the interim period, for serious confidence-building measures to be accepted and implemented, and of course we will state our readiness to contribute to the success of the negotiations that we hope will start and progress smoothly, with the aim of a situation broadly acceptable in Syria, which will safeguard the integrity of Syrian territory and, mainly, will end for the Syrian people – regardless of ethnic or religious characteristics – the danger of war and of the violence they have been experiencing for so long now.
Today we had the great – historical, I would say – satisfaction of chairing, as Greece, the Intergovernmental Conference that began on the opening of Serbia’s accession negotiations with the EU. Today is a very important moment for the Hellenic Presidency, a very important day for the whole Western Balkan region, particularly for the Serbian people, who, after a great historical endeavor, are making the definitive turn towards Europe, turning the page, and we hope this day will mark a new state of affairs not just in Serbia, but also in Kosovo, given that it is a very strong boost to the process of the ongoing negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina.
Greece, the Hellenic Presidency, which had the honor of representing all of the EU member states and chairing this process, congratulates the Serbian people and expresses its best wishes for our common European course, not just of Greece and Serbia, but of all the peoples of the Western Balkans, under the condition, naturally, of respect for all the criteria that must be met by every member state and every candidate for accession to the EU.
Yesterday, at the Foreign Affairs Council, we had the opportunity to discuss and come to a decision on all the conclusions regarding the major pending international issues. On Syria, naturally, ahead of Geneva II, on Iran, in view of the report submitted by the IAEA, a report that is a positive sign, on the Central African Republic, on South Sudan, on Egypt, on the situation in countries being impacted by the Syrian crisis, like Lebanon, on the situation in Libya. I briefed the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee (AFET) – which convened under the chairmanship of Elmar Brok – on these issues.
At the same time I had the opportunity to make a detailed presentation to the AFET of the Hellenic Presidency’s priorities and to respond to a large number of questions from members of the committee on current issues and on the priorities of Greek foreign policy, on the state of the Greek economy, and on the major issues that we call our national issues, like the Cyprus issue, the situation in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, and even on the FYROM name issue, which, in a European framework, is not posed as such, because what is important is that this country meet the Copenhagen Criteria, the criteria that must be met by every candidate for accession to the European Union. That is, it must comply with everything requested by the Council in its 17 December Conclusions, which in reality are a list of the terms and conditions that must be met in order for the European perspective to open up and in order for negotiations with the EU to begin. I think this discussion was extremely beneficial, because the members of the committee had the opportunity to hear first-hand what Greece’s positions are, and not just on Greek issues, but also on European issues and the major international issues being faced by the EU.
As you know, this was preceded by my visit to the U.S., which included my meetings with Secretary of State Kerry, Treasury Secretary Lew, the Chairmen of the House and Senate Foreign Affairs Committees, Messrs. Royce and Menendez, my meetings with think tanks in the U.S. Capitol. We will have the opportunity to meet with Mr. Kerry again tomorrow, in the context of the Geneva II conference. We talked about these issues in particular, and we are prepared to contribute to the promotion of the goals of the international community and the implementation of the UN Secretary General’s initiatives.
Before my visit to the U.S., I was in Paris, where I met with Mr. Fabius and Mr. Moscovici, and presented the positions of the Hellenic Presidency to the French Senate. With Mr. Fabius, we talked about the preparations for the operation in the Central African Republic, which was decided on at yesterday’s Foreign Affairs Council. Greece is providing its base in Larissa for training and preparation for the mission, but has made it clear that no Greek soldier will participate in this mission.
It was also made clear at yesterday’s Foreign Affairs Council, following a recommendation from the EU military committee, that activation and utilization of the battle groups is not being opted for. This is of particular importance, because a battle group is now at readiness, with Greece playing a prominent role in said battle group. This configuration is not seen as appropriate for confronting crises like the crisis in the Central African Republic, so the provision of the headquarters in Larissa is not linked with the activation of the battle groups, and, as I said earlier, I made it clear many times that Greek soldiers will not be participating, but it is important for Larissa to take on this activity – and for the rest of the region, as well as being important for Greece’s foreign policy.
Regarding the issue of the destruction of Syria’s chemical arsenal – an issue that is high on the public opinion agenda in Crete and in other coastal Mediterranean regions, I want to remind you that for many days now, the Greek Foreign Ministry has undertaken an intensive diplomatic initiative in order to ensure that there will be absolutely no danger to the Mediterranean, to the environment, to tourism, to the food chain. We are in contact with the UN and the Organization responsible for the chemical weapons, the OPCW, and mainly with the countries who have agreed to be involved in this operation.
As I had the opportunity to inform the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee yesterday, responding to relevant questions, no chemical waste coming from the operation for the destruction of Syria’s chemical arsenal will be dumped in the Mediterranean. But for us, it continues to be preferable even for the phase of hydrolysis on the relevant American vessel to take place outside the Mediterranean, which is a closed sea, and this was the content of my meetings with my Italian counterpart, Emma Bonino, given that Italy has offered to provide a port in Calabria for the trans-shipment of the materials – a port that specializes in the trans-shipment of special chemicals, and is considered extremely safe.
This was the point of my discussion with Mrs. Ashton, my discussion with Mrs. Damanaki, the Commissioner responsible for fisheries and maritime policy, and this was the point of the meetings on the level of political directors with all of the member states, including Portugal, which has also offered to provide the port of the Azores for this trans-shipment to take place.
We are waiting for notification from the competent organization, the OPCW, as to the precise technical part of the process, so that we can evaluate it and react, if the need arises. For the time being, we have the assurance that the final destruction of the material will take place not in the sea, but on dry land, probably in Germany, at a fully specialized installation. But we want to make sure that there is no problem in the coastal phases of the trans-shipment and hydrolysis.
We are awaiting the results of our meetings, because other countries, too, such as Denmark, which has provided a relevant vessel, such as a non-EU member state, Norway, have to provide us with the necessary information, and, first and foremost, as I said earlier, Italy, which has made its port available. Italy is a Mediterranean country, a country with ecological sensitivities similar to those of Greece, and thus it is very important for us to see what its final stance will be and precisely how it evaluates the technical data. So we are monitoring the issue very, very closely, and we will take all the necessary actions.
The issue of terrorism was raised in my meetings, to a very great extent. All of our collocutors express their confidence in the competent Greek authorities, and this is very, very important, because Greece is a trusted partner and ally. We are fighting an international battle against terrorism and every form of violence and organized crime. Greece has had significant successes in recent years. These successes constitute credibility capital that we must safeguard and increase, always with respect for the rule of law and human rights. But the right to security is also a fundamental human right.
There is no doubt that the escape of Xiros and everything following from that are very unfortunate, forcing us now to re-examine the legislation and practice, and of course Greece must – addressing its citizens first and foremost – enhance the sense of security. We all understand, obviously in Greece and in Europe and throughout the world, that violence is not a political option, and the condemnation of violence and terrorism is the universal and firm stance of Greek society.
I will also have the opportunity, later today, before departing for Geneva, to visit a preview of the exhibition being organized by the Hellenic Presidency at Brussels’ Bozar Centre for Fine Arts – the exhibition entitled “Nautilus.” It is an important activity of the Foreign and Culture Ministries. And I am pleased, because, from what I have heard, this exhibition is alluring, given that it is at the heart of the symbol and message of the Hellenic Presidency, which presents the sea as a timeless value of Hellenism, as an element of the Hellenic identity, of Hellenism. But also that it is an element of Hellenism now, during the Hellenic Presidency, and an element of the European identity. And not just during the Presidency. Generally, it has to be an element of the European identity within the framework of the institutional equality of member states.
JOURNALIST: Mr. President, I want to ask you whether you can tell us more about the discussion with your collocutors that there is trust in the competent Greek authorities. Were there no criticisms, complaints, expressions of concern regarding everything that has been happening recently?
E. VENIZELOS: Concern over terrorism is an ongoing situation. There are unfortunate moments in all the states of the world with regard to the confronting of terrorism and organized crime. Those who handle these issues in a responsible manner, with responsible positions, know that constant readiness is required. The system is completely water-tight and vigilance is never relaxed. We are not hiding the truth. We are open to international cooperation, always with respect for our national sovereignty, our institutional dignity, the Constitution and the laws of the state. But the Constitution and the laws of the state impose international cooperation for the protection and safeguarding of the security of all citizens and the common sense of security.
JOURNALIST: Were there criticisms?
E. VENIZELOS: There were no pointed criticisms. Expression of concern. As I said to you, obviously there were expressions of concern. We were the first to express our criticism as well as our concern. This is why the competent services have been mobilized and are open to international cooperation, so that maximum effectiveness can be achieved.
JOURNALIST: Mr. President, a question. It’s off the subject. About the troika. Do you perhaps have a picture of how things stand at this time?
E. VENIZELOS: I don’t know what the timeframe is. The Finance Ministry is handling it. I had the opportunity to respond to many question on the troika yesterday, at the AFET meeting, and I said that I was responding to those questions from the AFET because the hybrid institution of the troika raises matters of sovereignty and institutional equality of member states, as well as issues of the protection of the role of the European Commission, delimitation of the role of the European Central Bank and more generally the issue of the relationship between the Eurozone and the IMF in the management of crises.
Now, through the deepening of economic governance, through the new institutions of the banking union, through the implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact, another institutional framework is being shaped. But the truth is also that this institutional framework that is difficult for us, these terms that are difficult for us – the very, very tough terms that led in many cases to tragic consequences, which have burdened and are burdening the Greek people, which unfortunately exacerbated the recession and fueled unemployment – these choices, these difficult choices for us, given the circumstances, were the most moderate and tolerable that we could have seen. This charted course – this very difficult course – is much better than the option of disorderly default and of the overall breakdown of Greece, economically, socially, institutionally.
So, although it is difficult to convince the Greek people that this was not the worst – that there were much worse things we might have experienced – we are obliged to persist in the implementation of the programme so that we can exit the memorandum and the crisis. There are those who are investing politically in maintaining the memorandum, the troika, and in the continuation of the crisis, because they are being fueled politically and in terms of their political party by this crisis, which is a state of emergency. Under normal conditions, they would have no substantial political role.
So, while some invest in the negative scenario, we are trying to emerge from this strict framework and return to normalcy. And respect for the Greek people, for their sacrifices and suffering, and for their concerns, renders it imperative that we do everything necessary now, when we are at the end, to remove this pressure, this humiliation, the insecurity and anxiety. But the Greek people can choose between a specific difficult plan that is coming to an end, and an unknown, non-existent, supposed plan that will cancel out the whole effort and take us back to less than zero. And this is after all these sacrifices have been made – and it would be a shame for these sacrifices to be wasted.
The matter of the European institutions, the IMF, the troika, will be resolved. It must not be resolved on Greece’s back. We, now, deserve recognition for our achievements, respect for the sacrifices of the Greek people, an end to this unfair debate over whether Greece can or cannot, over whether or not the debt is sustainable. Because the debt is sustainable, as the numbers show. And Greece is a sustainable country – naturally it is sustainable and proud and rich in advantages. And we have to get out of this vice if we want – and we want and are able – to implement a comprehensive national reconstruction plan. With our eyes on the future.
Because there are those who are looking to the past, proposing that the Greek people return to the state of affairs that existed before 2009, and that we relive the experience of the crisis and the sacrifices, many times over, on tragic terms. Because they are not invoking the new. They are invoking a return to the old. And they are accusing us as parties of the old system, while what they are proposing is the implementation of the policy of the old system. This is the great and insurmountable contradiction being experienced right now by the Greece political system and the Greek public debate.
JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, the people are tired. How far are you prepared to go in these negotiations?
E. VENIZELOS: Obviously people are tired. But I must tell you that people are also tired in many other countries of the European Union. And this is the great challenge for the new proposal on the future of Europe. Because all of the countries – directly or indirectly – are feeling the pressure of these austerity policies. And I’m not talking about Greece, Portugal, Spain or even Italy. I’m talking about very large countries, like France, the Netherlands. Countries that stood as models of fiscal stability. The IMF even has Finland in the danger zone now. So there is a very serious pan-European issue, which, however – if we want to be specific and serious – we have to admit can be resolved only through the proposals of the European Socialist Party, by the cooperation of the European Socialist Party with the European People’s Party. That is, through cooperation of the major European political parties, and not through marginal channels that don’t lead anywhere.
January 21, 2014