D. AVRAMOPOULOS: I met with Commissioner Füle and we had an interesting and truly useful discussion, and we will do this again, if necessary.
At our meeting today, as earlier with the Prime Minister, we were briefed on the course of the enlargement portfolio. We exchanged views on the progress of countries in our wider neighbourhood on their European course, our point of reference being the defence of the strategic interests of the EU and our country as a member state.
European enlargement policy is of great importance to Greece, because we believe that it is a policy that contributes to the strengthening of peace, stability and development in our region. Moreover, it is a catalyst for the implementation of major reforms in candidate countries that have undertaken the commitment to respect the Copenhagen criteria and adopt a policy that strengthens peace, stability and prosperity, based on the principles of regional cooperation and the maintaining of good neighbourly relations.
Specifically, we discussed all the candidate countries and, naturally, each of our three immediate neighbours who look forward to joining the European family, and we briefed him on our country’s firm and longstanding positions. we support in practice the European perspective of all three of these countries – i.e., Turkey, Albania, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – on the obvious condition that the relevant EU criteria and decisions are complied with.
Finally, we discussed the Agenda 2014 initiative, which will be a top priority of the Greek EU Presidency in the first half of 2014. Agenda 2014 is aimed at accelerating the process of the integration of Western Balkan countries into the EU.
I would like to thank Commissioner Füle for our useful meeting. And we share the same goal with Mr. Füle: the enlargement of the European Union with countries that are really prepared to function as members of our European family and that respect European principles and values, because we can’t have real European integration of our continent if there are still pending issues. Our guide is our common future within the great European family.
I thank him and give him the floor.
S. FÜLE: Thank you very much Minister, indeed it is a pleasure to come to Athens and I had a very good conversation earlier today with Prime Minister Samaras, and we have just ended up the conversation with you on the European enlargement process and I very much appreciated the fruitful and constructive discussions we had.
I am fully aware of the great difficulties Greece and its people are presently facing and the tremendous efforts they make. I appreciate all the more your country’s determination to maintain the European Union enlargement high on its agenda, not least during your upcoming 2014 Presidency.
We both agree that the European perspective is a powerful tool that stimulates countries to undertake profound transformations, and promotes peace and stability, benefiting also the European Union and its member states. It is therefore important to maintain the momentum of the enlargement process even under current circumstances.
The enlargement process is moving ahead. Of course, enlargement countries still face many challenges, and most notably in the areas of rule of law and economy, but maintaining the momentum of the enlargement process is a powerful tool to address these challenges. And Greece, by its geographic position, will benefit most from the successful enlargement of the countries of Southeast Europe, and especially its neighbors, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Albania. And I fully support the Minister saying that the enlargement process also creates a favorable environment for addressing and solving bilateral issues in the spirit of good neighborly relations.
And the last remark, I have assured the Minister that the Commission remains committed to the European perspective of the Western Balkans, Turkey, and Iceland, and supports their efforts on the road to accession, and we will continue working together with Greece to that end.
A. ATHANASOPOULOS: The question is for both. I would like a few more details of what you said regarding the issue of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. For the Commissioner in particular, you mentioned the challenges of the rule of law. I would like to ask you the extent to which you are satisfied with the reforms being carried out in our neighbouring country and the extend to which the progress is sufficient, so that, in the Progress Report we are expecting, you can recommend the opening of accession negotiations. Thank you very much.
S. FÜLE: That is addressing both of us. Now, we had a discussion across the board, we had also a discussion focusing on the 2014 and on how the Commission could support one of the priorities of the forthcoming Greek Presidency, focusing on enlargement.
The discussion on the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has allowed us to exchange views, how we see the development over the last couple of months in that country. I have informed the Minister about how I see the results of the high level accession dialogue and three rounds of that dialogue taking place in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This dialogue and the process it has generated has put the reforms agenda back on track, particularly also in the area of rule of law.
So, there is a positive assessment of the reforms, allow me not to disclose what the Commission recommendation is going to be this year – I still need to present the proposal about that to the college and I will do that next week, but let me just recall that the three previous years the recommendation from the Commission was to start accession negotiation.
But there has been a lot we have agreed. We have agreed how important, essential it is that the name issue is solved. And how important it is to move this country towards the enlargement process.
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: As I said earlier, Greece supports the three neighbouring countries on their course towards the European Union. With Mr. Füle, we had the opportunity to talk about all the issues that concern enlargement, and of course we talked about the Skopje name issue.
We didn’t go into detail. The final Report – as he himself said – has not yet been completed. However, I had the opportunity to reiterate that Greece is waiting for its neighbouring country to make a move in response to the initiatives that have been undertaken in recent years under the auspices of the UN. In this context, I must note that we encourage the reopening of the process under Mr. Nimetz.
I repeat that a solution that can be mutually acceptable must be based on mutual cultural and historical respect. Greece has already taken steps ahead and shown its true intentions, and we are now at a point where, under the UN auspices, there can be results. That’s where we left it today.
Our positions are well known. The have been expressed repeatedly here in Greece and abroad, mainly in the meetings I had in New York City, with the UN Secretary General and his personal envoy Mr. Nimetz. We would like to believe that, at some point, we will see the necessary understanding and realism that will enable our neighbouring country to take the necessary steps so that a solution can finally be found, based on the principles I mentioned a short while ago.
NIKOS MELETIS: A question for the Commissioner. Whether he is concerned at the fact that yesterday, Mr. Erdogan, presenting his party’s manifesto for the coming years, made no reference whatsoever to the European Union, while a country that wants to be a candidate for accession to the Union is not only threatening Cyprus, but is carrying out a war against its citizens. The second question is, whether you are thinking of issuing an explanation to those who follow you on Twitter regarding the sending, presumably without your knowledge, of misinformation.
S. FÜLE: The tweet has not been intended to jump on the wave created by social network addressing this alleged incident.
The reason for that tweet was a call for calm and restraint and for the full establishment of the facts.
And on the question you were asking about the Prime Minister of Turkey. I have been a couple of… two weeks ago at the Yalta Conference, where I had the opportunity to listen to Prime Minister Erdogan and President Yanukovych of Ukraine.
And I have heard a very passionate speech in favor of the continuing of accession negotiations. I have heard from Prime Minister Erdogan to plea for a chance to be given for Turkey to become a European member state.
In the meantime, of course, I am encouraged by the positive agenda bringing the concrete results of our engagement. And I hope that our progress report and also conclusions and recommendations in relation to Turkey, would help us to revitalize the accession negotiation, putting them back on track. It will be in the interest of Turkey, it will be in the interest of the European Union.
Thank you.
October 2, 2012