JOURNALIST: We are honored to have the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr. Gerapetritis with us. It’s the first time a Greek Foreign Minister has visited our hometown of Boston in the last 25 years. We would like to thank you for the honor and to welcome you. First of all, we would like to know how you saw the Greeks in Boston and what your initial impressions of them were.
G. GERAPETRITIS: It is a great honor, representing Greece, our homeland and the Greek Foreign Ministry, to be here today in Boston, where I will have a series of meetings with representatives of the Diaspora, the academia, the scientific community, people of knowledge, wisdom and hard work. I will also have the opportunity to visit the Greek Consulate General that serves as a real beacon for the Diaspora Greeks and also, to present the Greek Government's positions on our foreign policy at Boston’s major academic institutions, Tufts and Harvard Universities.
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Diaspora Greeks who honor our homeland, our country, particularly in Massachusetts, in Boston, where they not only proudly represent our country, but also constitute a very powerful force, a genuine representative of Greek creativity, Greek history, and the Greek ability to make, to create, to innovate. It is truly impressive how many achievements the Diaspora Greeks of this region have accomplished.
I’d like to take this opportunity to emphasize that, coming from the High-Level Week of the 78th UN General Assembly, which the Greek Delegation under the Prime Minister attended, we had the opportunity to conduct a series of high-level meetings with more than 20 countries bilaterally and with International Organizations as well as to uphold Greece’s positions in trilateral cooperation formats with very important partners in the wider region and globally. We also had the chance to strengthen and consolidate Greece's standing on the international stage, something which, I believe, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has already cultivated with tremendous success.
Furthermore, I had the opportunity to address an extensive Diaspora audience, at a well-attended event hosted by the Greek Diaspora, in a very positive and optimistic atmosphere. I’d like to assure our fellow Greeks in the United States that Greek foreign policy remains a principled foreign policy that will support our national interests and uphold our sovereignty and our sovereign rights. There is a comprehensive foreign policy strategy that is based on building strong alliances with countries that play pivotal role on the international stage, with which our country has promoted strategic cooperation, such as the United States, but also countries in Europe in the Middle East and North Africa. Currently, Greece constitutes a strategic partner of all the major players in the world. In this regard, I’d like to highlight Greece's leading role in EU enlargement and, in particular, the EU accession of the Western Balkans, which was initiated by Greece in 2003 in Thessaloniki and is presently gaining a new momentum.
Undoubtedly, we realize that things are not always simple in our wider neighbourhood. We are already in the midst of a war, which violates every principle of International Law, with Russia invading a country, coveting its sovereignty.
We witness the difficulties in the wider Balkan region, particularly in Kosovo, where we have had major incidents, as well as in other countries such as Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania. I’d like to point out that Greece is assisting these countries, but these countries, and Albania in particular, must also respect the fundamental principles of the European acquis, Democracy and the Rule of Law. No one should be above the fundamental principles promoted by European law and European culture.
Allow me, at this point, to say a few words about Greece's relationship with Türkiye, as I am aware of the interest and possibly concern of the Greek Diaspora on this matter.
I believe it’s extremely important that, following a period in which we had a relative difficulty in communicating constructively, we have now established a significant channel of communication with the Turkish side. Both governments have a very fresh mandate from their electorates and possess significant political capital in order to engage in discussions.
It is important for us, in the first instance, to be able to extend as long as possible the period of peaceful atmosphere and détente in our region, the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.
It is important that we can communicate with the other side without having a crisis every time a difference or a disagreement arise.
There will be a series of positive measures concerning areas that are important for both countries, such as civil protection, due to the major climate crisis occurring in the Mediterranean and affecting all Mediterranean countries, including, of course, Greece and Türkiye. And eventually, - not at present- we will have to address our major difference, namely the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone.
All this, of course, must be demonstrated in practice. Sincerity should be demonstrated consistently and continuously. In particular, we must not forget the fundamental priority of Greek foreign policy, which is Cyprus. For us, it is critical that the discussions that are taking place continue. The interventions by the Greek State and our Prime Minister were aimed in this direction, namely the continuation of the discussions between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot side in order to reach a viable solution, specifically within the framework of UN Security Council resolutions and the appointment of a special envoy.
Greece stands by its Diaspora; the motherland will continue to support its Diaspora’s needs.
JOURNALIST: You also gave us the opportunity to vote.
G. GERAPETRITIS: Allow me to say that it was not an obligation but a duty that we owed to our Diaspora. The first law introduced by the new government was precisely about removing all bureaucratic obstacles. We look forward to the active participation of all Greek citizens in the electoral processes. I want to state from the bottom of my heart, that the Greek Diaspora is a major asset that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will make every possible effort to mobilize. The Greeks in the motherland and the Greeks from all over the world form a united front that will work for the prosperity of our homeland.
JOURNALIST: And that’s my last question. I’m going to ask you in English, so I want to make sure 100% of our listening audience fully understands you. My question is: What can we do as Greek-Americans, that we live here in Boston, we live in New England, this famous “Greek lobby”? What can we do on a daily basis, on a monthly basis to make, you know, your job as Greek government outside of Greece better and easier?
G. GERAPETRITIS: You are the ambassadors of Greece, you are the ambassadors of our country worldwide. It’s very important that you mobilize all your forces to actually promote our national interests. We all know how important it is that Greeks around the world stay united. In this unity we look forward to further develop our national interests. What you can do is, first, to promote these ideas to all levels of social, financial and economic life in your respective countries, in your respective cities. And, secondly, keep the liaisons with Greece, keep Greece in your hearts and souls. We stay together, because we think that together we can do anything.
JOURNALIST: Thank you for your time, and thank you for your work.
G. GERAPETRITIS: It’s a great honor, thank you.
September 25, 2023