“International Law is the compass of Greek foreign policy”
Your Excellency, Madam President of the Hellenic Republic, it is with great pleasure and emotion that I welcome you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the oath-taking ceremony of the 27th Class of Candidate Embassy Attachés of the Diplomatic Academy.
Dear Candidate Attachés, your graduation is one of the most important moments in your diplomatic career. But it is also an extremely important moment for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself, which I have the honour to head.
You are the new blood of the Ministry, one of the most historic institutions since the foundation of the Hellenic Republic and the Greek State.
A vibrant institution consisting of highly qualified, expert and trained executives. The knowledge, which you proved to possess with your very demanding admission examinations, was enriched during your studies at the Diplomatic Academy.
As Minister of Foreign Affairs, but also as an academic teacher, I am convinced that you have all the necessary qualifications to support and defend our country's positions internationally.
Your familiarity with Diplomatic History, with the Law of the European Union, International Law and especially with the International Law of the Sea, which is crucial for us, will be of great value to us.
As you are all aware, International Law serves as the compass of Greek foreign policy, a foreign policy based on principles and rules.
With your assistance we will be able to draw up and implement a Greek foreign policy that will refer not only to the Greeks at home, but also to Hellenism all over the world.
Greek foreign policy should constantly adjust, incorporating new forms of diplomacy, such as Public Diplomacy and Economic Diplomacy.
Our priority is the lifelong education and training of Foreign Ministry employees, and the familiarization of its staff with new technologies and modern forms of exercising foreign policy.
I am personally interested to hear the views of all the Ministry's personnel, especially of the Director of the Diplomatic Academy, the Honorable Ambassador, Mr. Garilides, on how we can better train our staff, enhance skills and upgrade our Diplomatic Corps and the Diplomatic Academy as a whole.
With these thoughts, I welcome you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and wish you an exceptional career working for the benefit of our country.
Congratulations to all of you. It is a moment of great emotion and honour. Congratulations also to your parents for making the sacrifices that have allowed you to be in this position today and to promote the country's foreign policy tomorrow.
Once again Madam President, it is a great honour. You always invest in the young generation, in the new executives of the Greek public sector, to whom we will hand over the reins of the country, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Thank you for the honour.
July 21, 2023