I am pleased to welcome the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and dear friend, Mr. Marko Đurić, to Athens. It is with great honor and pleasure that I welcome you, dear Minister, to Athens following our meeting in New York last September, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Greece and Serbia have long-standing historical, cultural and religious ties. In 2019, at the 3rd High-Level Cooperation Council, our bilateral relations were upgraded to a strategic level. We are looking forward to organizing the next High-Level Cooperation Council in the near future.
Your presence here gives us the opportunity to deepen our exceptional ties of friendship and solidarity between our peoples. Today’s signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between Greece and Serbia signals this mutual will.
Our meeting gives us the opportunity to reiterate Greece’s full support to Serbia’s European path. We should acknowledge the efforts you are making and actively contribute to the momentum of the country’s accession process.
The EU-Western Balkans Summit is being held in Brussels today. Greece’s position is clear. Serbia’s accession to the EU is a geopolitical necessity. This was also highlighted a few days ago by the Greek Prime Minister in his letter to the Heads of State and Government of the EU member states and to the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, in which he called for the adoption of the European Commission’s proposal for the opening of the third Cluster of negotiating Chapters with Serbia. He also urged the country to step up its efforts to fully align with the European acquis and sent a powerful message to the Serbian people about their European aspirations.
It was Greece, after all, that pioneered the Thessaloniki Agenda of 2003 for the accession of the Western Balkans to the European Union as the only way to consolidate stability and security in the region. This policy was confirmed by the letter we sent as the “Group of Friends of the Western Balkans” to the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on the acceleration of the enlargement process of the Western Balkans.
We discussed about Kosovo and our position remains unchanged. Greece supports the Dialogue process between Belgrade and Pristina. We welcome Serbia’s constructive stance on the agreement reached in Brussels yesterday on the Joint Serbia-Kosovo Commission on Missing Persons.
With my Serbian counterpart, we discussed ways to further deepen our bilateral economic cooperation. We particularly focused on the development of our investment relations and we talked about the organization of EXPO 2027 in Belgrade, which we support.
We discussed about the promotion of interconnectivity projects, in the transport sector, namely the Piraeus-Thessaloniki-Skopje-Belgrade-Central Europe railway connection, the Vertical Gas Corridor, the Natural Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) and the Natural Gas Interconnector between Serbia and Bulgaria. All these projects are crucial for the energy independence of our countries.
Bilateral trade and tourism are two sectors that reflect our excellent level of cooperation. In 2023, we achieved record trade transactions, close to 800 million, while there are signs for a further increase this year.
In the sports sector, we entrusted our national football team to a Serbian coach, Ivan Jovanović. After all, Serbia has a long tradition in sports.
At this point, I would like to thank the Serbian government and the Serbian people for your immediate response and the solidarity you showed to Greece during the wildfires last August and last October.
With the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, we discussed about regional and international developments, and of course, about the situation in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
Greek foreign policy has chosen a principled stance in all fronts, fully adhering to international law. The peaceful settlement of disputes should be the cornerstone of the international security architecture. In this context, the role of international organizations is crucial.
In two weeks, as of January 1, 2025 and for two years, Greece will be a member of the UN Security Council. Our commitment to international law and the principles of the UN Charter serve as our compass. Based on these principles, we are looking forward to a close cooperation between Greece and Serbia.
Minister, in the Balkan Peninsula, we know very well what war means. The peoples of the Balkans have been inspired by Rigas Feraios. His vision of freedom and reconciliation remains relevant and timeless. This is what we will jointly support.
With these thoughts, dear Minister, dear Marko, I welcome you to Athens.
JOURNALIST: Good morning, Minister. I would like to ask you about Syria, where obviously the situation is still volatile, both on the ground and in terms of the new political situation. We have major external stakeholders who are on standby. We have regional stakeholders, such as Türkiye, which is trying to influence developments. Syria and the wider region are close to the Greek security system. Therefore, I would like to ask in what way could Greece be more present in the region? Possibly by strengthening trilateral cooperation schemes, in which Israel participates?
G. GERAPETRITIS: The situation in Syria after the collapse of Assad’s authoritarian regime remains indeed volatile. Greece has clearly stated that, at this moment, it is important to ensure the transition to democratic stability, meaning an inclusive administration involving all parties. Syria’s territorial integrity, free from external interference, must be guaranteed. The protection of religious communities and monuments must be fully ensured. The freedom of all vulnerable groups of citizens, including children and women, must be absolutely safeguarded. All this should be achieved in line with the Security Council Resolution 2254 on Syria. Greece has been actively involved in the issue from the very beginning. I myself am in constant communication with all my Arab counterparts, so that we can have a common stance, which will precisely pursue these outcomes, and in particular the democratic stability that has not yet been guaranteed.
In addition, we have already taken steps in the context of the European Union. Together with my counterparts from Cyprus and Austria, we have submitted a plan for the active presence of the European Union in Syria, including specific proposals for the appointment of an EU Special Envoy for Syria and the active presence of both the European Union and the member states in Damascus, with a view to constantly monitor developments, ensure democratic stability and guarantee the freedoms of all citizens.
And of course, the Greek Embassy in Damascus remains open, at the disposal of the Greek citizens who are currently in Syria. Stability in Syria is in the interest of regional and global security. A stability without exclusions and without external interference.
December 18, 2024