Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos participated today in the NATO Ministerial in Brussels, which opened with a working luncheon of the NATO-Russia Council, at which the Russian side was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
During the luncheon there was an exchange of views on how to further strengthen practical cooperation between NATO and Russia – with emphasis on operational cooperation issues – and a discussion of developments in Syria. In his remarks, Foreign Minister Avramopoulos stressed the strategic nature of the Alliance’s cooperation with Russia and the need to strengthen the political dialogue between the two sides. With regard to Syria, Mr. Avramopoulos underscored Greece’s belief that a political process – with the participation of all the forces in Syria – is the only way out of the impasse that will enable the Syrian people to express themselves genuinely and decide on their own future. On the issue of providing anti-missile assistance to Turkey, in the form of Patriot missiles under NATO control, Mr. Avramopoulos stressed the strictly defensive nature of this move, which is clearly stipulated in the relevant decisions.
The working luncheon was followed by a session of the North Atlantic Council, at which, in a follow-up to policies decided on in Berlin, in April 2011, there was a discussion of NATO Partnerships, and particularly the Alliance’s priorities in this area: the Mediterranean Dialogue, the Partnership for Peace program, and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. During the discussion of current developments in the Western Balkans, with emphasis on Kosovo and the Belgrade-Pristina talks, Mr. Avramopoulos pointed up Greece’s significant contribution to the KFOR mission, underscoring the importance to international security of the Alliance’s partnership program, which should continue to develop unhindered.
In reference to NATO enlargement – and having stressed Greece’s firm support for the enlargement process as a decisive tool for consolidating peace, security and progress in the region, Mr. Avramopoulos stressed that NATO enlargement “is an open door policy, but not an open house party.”
Having pointed out the historical repercussions of nationalism and populism in our region, Mr. Avramopoulos described the current situation in the Balkans, inveighing against the rise in nationalism, the territorial claims and the irredentism and populism that continue to dominate the domestic political scene in certain countries in the region. He continued by saying that everyone needs to decide that the redrawing of borders in the Balkans has come to a definitive end, and that the pending problems in the region must not be introduced into the Alliance unresolved. Mr. Avramopoulos closed his remarks on the issue by stressing the need to respect the fundamental principles and conditions that NATO has set, including respect for good neighbourly relations.
The Ministerial will continue with a working dinner, at which the Foreign Ministers will exchange views on recent developments in the Middle East and North Africa, with emphasis on the crisis in Syria.
December 4, 2012