I met today with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
We had the opportunity to extensively and in-depth discuss the current major issues facing the United Nations.
First of all, we addressed Greece's election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, a position which Greece aspires to uphold with vigor, seeking to bridge the North with the South, the East with the West. In doing so, Greece aims to establish a voice of reason, a voice of International Law within the United Nations, ensuring that this voice, and that of all other states sharing a common understanding, can be heard.
We also had the opportunity to discuss with the Secretary-General the critical issues concerning the Middle East and Ukraine, particularly the proposal for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.
This proposal should be accepted. We will all work towards this end. Next week, the Secretary-General will attend a meeting at the highest level in Amman, Jordan.
Greece consistently offers good offices at both bilateral and multilateral levels, within the framework of international organizations. All forms of aggression must cease. The humanitarian disaster is beyond imagination. We can no longer afford to delay global peace and prosperity.
Lastly, we had the opportunity to discuss the Cyprus issue with the Secretary-General, in the presence of his Personal Envoy, Ms. Holguin. The discussion focused on the current state of negotiations.
We reiterated our firm position that both sides should sit at the negotiation table, discuss in a sincere manner, and build mutual trust under the framework of the UN Security Council resolutions so that the situation we all want, which is a long-standing requirement of International Law and the United Nations, can be achieved in Cyprus.
We anticipate that shortly, under the initiative of the Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, further discussions will be convened to initiate dialogue.
The Secretary-General and I agreed that this is a crucial moment. It is an opportunity that must not be missed. In this regard, Greece will stand by the Republic of Cyprus so that we can take significant steps towards resolving the long-standing Cyprus issue.
June 5, 2024