STAVROS LAMBRINIDIS: Dear friends, it is a very great honor for any Greek to serve as foreign minister of our country, whether for a month or five years. George Papandreou gave me this honor, and I thank him and will always be grateful.
I’ve been at the Foreign Ministry for a few months – since June. It has always been my position that actions speak far louder than words, and that is why I tried, through my actions, to hold the Greek flag high at a very difficult time in our history, and to consistently follow a few basic principles.
The first principle is consensus, because without consensus, our country’s foreign policy is weak. Because Greek diplomacy is no one’s personal matter; rather, it is the result of the nation’s collective effort. I worked closely with the Hellenic Parliament and with the National Council on Foreign Policy. Together with the members of the NCFP, as you know, we carried out the Committee’s first joint mission to North Africa and the Middle East, getting significant results for Greece.
The second principle is faithfulness to the roots and strength of Hellenism throughout the world; of a Hellenism that does not shrink from even the most negative conditions, but courageously – and without prejudices – takes the future in its hands. In mid-August, I visited Imbros – the first visit in history of a Greek Foreign Minister to that island. And I stood by the Greeks of the island who are revitalizing their communities as the Turkish state begins to acknowledge the injustices of the past. It is my profound belief that Greece can have relations of trust with its neighbours, with all of its neighbours – as long as we talk openly and decisively and respect one another. We need to work towards this and to continue to play a leading role in our neighborhood, working for the peaceful resolution of differences and the region’s European perspective, always within the framework of reciprocity and guided by respect for international law.
The third and last principle is Greece’s pride, which we all need to defend always and at all times. I travelled a lot in a short time. I spoke to governments, journalists, shapers of public opinion. I went to Europe, the Middle East, America. I talked to Foreign Ministers from around the globe and fought the rhetoric of punishment and stereotypes. I struggled to make them understand that the Greeks will make it. I am deeply convinced of this. I know it will be the case.
So I wish Lucas Papademos’s new government and the new Foreign Minister success in their work, because their success will mean the country’s salvation. I will stand by them in whatever they need, and I will do so ardently. I am particularly happy to be handing the Foreign Ministry over to Stavros Dimas. I had the opportunity to work with Stavros Dimas in Brussels, when I was head of the PASOK parliamentary group, and Stavros was a Commissioner. I admired a man with the courage of his convictions and with a standing that he built – no one bestowed it on him. And these are vital elements at the Foreign Ministry, particularly during these critical days. Stavros, I welcome you and I will be at your side.
I want to express my warm thanks to my associates – MarilizaXenogiannakopoulou and Dimitris Dollis, my close friends with whom I have collaborated so strongly all these years. I would like to thank the Foreign Ministry’s Secretary General, YannisZepos, my diplomatic cabinet, Christos Panagopoulos, the Information Department and Gregory Delavekouras, who has to play such an important role in the country at this time. I want to thank all of my personal associates, the few but “self-sacrificing” of the Foreign Ministry. But mainly I want to thank you, I want to thank the diplomats, I want to thank all of the personnel in all the Ministry’s departments. I tried to support you; to show by my stance the great respect I have for you. I don’t know if I succeeded. But I do know that you supported me and that you supported your country, and that you will support whomever is the Foreign Ministry of this country. I am deeply grateful for the honor you did me by working with me. Thank you.
STAVROS DIMAS: Thank you very much, Stavros, for your speech and your kind words. We did work together in Brussels, and the results of our collaboration were always positive for our homeland, as well as for the issues I handled, on which I always had your assistance.
And I agree which what you said at the outset, Stavros: that for any Greek it is an exceptional honor to lead this Ministry. I am particularly happy that I will be working with MarilizaXenogiannakopoulou and Dimitris Dollis, two persons with experience with and knowledge of the issues. And Mariliza and I – given her experience as an MEP – have much in common. Mr. Dollis and I also have things in common, because both of us have lived abroad for many years. I think we will be able to achieve the results we expect during the time of this government – the Papademos government.
The main characteristic I want to underscore is that we will work together. We will understand one another and move ahead together. And I think it is very important for the three parties to work together on foreign policy issues. And I am happy that the leaders of these parties on foreign policy issues have promised and assured me that we will have the support we need.
I don’t know how long this government is going to last, but I want to have positive collaboration, because your experiences from the European Parliament and the Foreign Ministry – experience of handling the issues you have handled so far – will be of invaluable assistance to me. So, we will find a way for me to have this assistance from you. As Mr. Lambrinidis said, we will confront the current foreign policy issues with resolve, with prudence, with courage and intelligence, because we will be confronting a number of issues. We will be together, and I assure you that in collaboration with the worthy personnel of the Foreign Ministry, we will be able to get the best results.
I won’t tire you any further. I will just stand on one point that I will be emphasizing during my time as Foreign Minister: the international credibility of our country; the recovery of that credibility. We will have to start working immediately on recovering our country’s international credibility, the country’s standing. It is unthinkable that our country should become the object of easy rhetoric from various parties who are irresponsible or have specific motives. We have to work together, and this cooperation will start here. But we also have global Hellenism, an invaluable ally we must use and work with toward a common goal. That is why, Mr. Dollis, I think we can set this goal – at least start working on it during this time we have the government that took office today. I repeat: the recovery of our country’s international standing is of vast importance.
I thank you very much. And Stavros, I thank you once again. Thank you, Mariliza. Thank you, Dimitris. Thank you very much.
November 11, 2011