Foreign Ministry spokesman Gregory Delavekouras made the following statement in response to journalists’ questions regarding Greek-Albanian relations and the agreement between the two countries on the delimitation of maritime zones:
“Last week we had a very successful visit from the Albanian Foreign Minister to our country – the first such visit in years. The desire of the government and of Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos is to introduce a new dynamic into our relations with Albania and to create the conditions for strategic cooperation with Albania on all levels.
In this spirit, consultations were held between the delegations of the two countries, and their shared will was set down clearly in the statements made by the two Ministers following their meeting.
In the new environment of friendship and close cooperation that is taking shape, it is of critical importance to deal immediately – while showing the necessary political will – with chronic problems and pending issues that exist, giving priority to the settlement of the issue of the Agreement on the Delimitation of Maritime Zones between the two countries.
The speedy settlement of this issue, within the framework of international law, will be a decisive step in strengthening our bilateral relations and enhancing stability and security throughout the region. This is the shared conclusion from the consultations we had last week, as set down in the two Ministers’ joint statements.”
October 12, 2012