Below is the transcript of the joint statements made during their meeting today by the President of the Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, and Foreign Minister Kotzias:
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC: Mr. Minister, as I know your positions and views – and I knew them well before I took up my duties and you took up yours – I want to remind you that, when, on the initiative of Konstantinos Karamanlis, Greece entered the European Union, everyone knew, as Konstantinos Karamanlis stressed, that Greece’s course in the European Union – and at the hard core of the EU, in fact – was what ensured not only its economic course, but its national security in general. This is something that I consider to be a fundamental acquis; something that leads us to the awareness that Greece’s course within Europe and the Eurozone must remain unwavering.
N. KOTZIAS: Mr. President, I am happy that you received me. The Foreign Minister of Belgium just left, and with him I talked about the need for the negotiations to continue in the European Union. He underscored – and he was kind enough to say this – that it is wrong for us to be talking about Greece and the European Union. Instead, we need to be talking about a an internal process of the European Union, of which Greece is a member. I came to brief you on my upcoming trips. We are taking care at the Foreign Ministry to continue to work for the good of the homeland and to resolve problems, so that more clouds do not gather over our country.
Thank you for receiving me.
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC: I thank you, Mr. Minister.
July 2, 2015