It is a great pleasure and honour to welcome my Chilean counterpart Alberto van Klaveren to Greece and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today.
Greece and Chile are inspired by common, fundamental values: democracy and peace among peoples.
Mr. van Klaveren and I are also personally linked by our passion for Law, which is the basis of any state governed by the Rule of Law.
We both believe in the peaceful resolution of interstate disputes on the basis of International Law, of which our friend, the Chilean Foreign Minister is an avid advocate.
During our meeting we had the opportunity to address issues of mutual interest. We agreed to expand our cooperation in various areas including economy, energy, green growth, investment and shipping.
We wish to upgrade our bilateral cooperation and the EU's cooperation with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Simultaneously, Greece is ready to provide its good offices in order to enhance EU-Chile cooperation.
I take this opportunity to thank Mr. van Klaveren warmly for Chile's pledge to support Greece's candidature in the UN Security Council for the term 2025-2026.
During its participation in the Security Council, Greece will work to address global challenges, such as the climate crisis, which has taken an enormous toll on our countries this year.
Beyond our shared values, however, it is the people themselves who unite us. It is the small but active Greek community in Chile, a distinguished member of which is the companion of the President of Chile, Irina Karamanos, hailing from Kymi, Evia.
This is the power of peoples, as captured in the stirring masterpiece and symbol of freedom Canto General by the Chilean Nobel laureate poet Pablo Neruda, and set to music by our great Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis:
“Raise this earth in your hands,
partake of this splendor,
take your bread and your apple,
your heart and your horse
and mount guard on the frontier,
at the limits of its leaves”
“Levanta esta tierra en tus manos,
participa de este esplendor,
toma tu pan y tu manzana,
tu corazón y tu caballo
y monta guardia en la frontera,
en el límite de sus hojas”
Minister, dear Alberto, I welcome you to Athens and thank you for your honorable visit.
August 25, 2023