E. VENIZELOS: In my meeting with my French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, I had the opportunity to talk with him about the major priorities of the Hellenic Presidency, which are the priorities of the peoples and societies of the European Union. Because, in France and everywhere else, the big issues are growth, unemployment, the social state, youth unemployment, illegal immigration, protection of borders, completion of the economic and, mainly, the banking union, so that there can be a truly single, humanitarian market. Of course, we also talked about the fourth, horizontal priority we have set, which is integrated maritime policy, from the environment and energy to the delimitation of maritime zones in accordance with international law, particularly in the Mediterranean region.
Naturally, we discussed all the major current international problems. We talked about the latest developments in Syria. Greece participates in the central current. As the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we will do everything we can to help Geneva II to succeed and be implemented, if it is carried out. We paid special attention to the humanitarian dimension, because Syria is in an ongoing humanitarian crisis. I briefed him on our diplomatic initiatives for there to be environmental security in the Mediterranean – which is a closed sea – during the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal.
We talked about the developments in Iran, about the Middle East peace process, the situation in Lebanon, in Libya, in Egypt, as well as on the eastern side – the Eastern Partnership. We talked about our relations with Russia and the developments in Ukraine. We talked about the initiatives we can take in the context of the Foreign Affairs Council and the General Affairs Council during these months – less than six months, with regard to the European Parliament, due to the elections. But these months are nevertheless very critical, because we have the pre-election debate throughout Europe on the future of Europe and of European policies.
On the bilateral level, our relations are excellent, historic, deep, but we want a more pronounced economic and investment presence of French entrepreneurs in Greece, and this will be one of the issues we discuss with Mr. Fabius when he comes to Athens, at the soonest possible time, because he accepted my invitation to visit Athens during the Hellenic Presidency.
I also met with French Foreign Minister Moscovici, in my capacity as Deputy Prime Minister and former finance minister, and I talked to him, as I talked to Mr. Fabius, about the Greek economy’s performance, about the primary surplus, which means a great deal, because the great sacrifices of the Greek people are now manifesting themselves, with results that are expressed in numbers. This means that we now meet the conditions for the official confirmation of the long-term sustainability of the Greek public debt, and thus, in this way, we can solve all the problems that have to do with the completion of the programme and Greece’s gradual but safe return to normalcy. And normalcy means institutional equality, politically, as well as access to the market, economically. This is very, very important.
JOURNALIST: When do you see this return taking place?
E. VENIZELOS: As soon as possible. You know that the markets have a chemistry – they know, they have instinct. The international private sector is investing a lot of hopes in Greece right now. One sees this in many statements from key international financial and economic players. And it is very important that we ourselves, at home, not undermine this effort. It is of very great political importance that our institutional partners see how the market is reacting, how the international private sector is reacting.
JOURNALIST: Could we say the second half of 2014?
E. VENIZELOS: At the soonest possible time, as soon as this potential is ascertained and as soon as the necessary environment exists, because in the economy everything is psychology and image, to a great extent, beyond the substance, which is very important. But the substance, with the sweat and blood of the Greek people, is now apparent in the fiscal achievements and the structural changes. We are not talking in words now – we are talking in numbers.
JOURNALIST: What did you talk about with Mr. Moscovici?
E. VENIZELOS: I cannot speak for him, but I think that you can see very well what plan Greece is following; a Greece that wants to fulfil its obligations and will fulfil its obligations to its partners. But on the other hand, in its political meetings with its partners, and based on technocratic data and numbers, Greece wants there to be a comprehensive discussion that provides solutions that are safe for Greece and for Europe.
January 13, 2014