Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Ministers, it is my great honour to welcome you today to the ‘Philia Forum’. Your very presence here is highly symbolic in itself.
Today's meeting further builds on the foundation for solidifying peace, friendship and prosperity in the wider region, from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf.
Today we were given the opportunity to examine how to work towards this ambitious goal. First and foremost, we agreed on the creation of a regional cooperation network linking the Mashreq to Europe.
The Philia Forum serves as a venue where countries from both these regions can exchange views on common challenges.
These include the response to the pandemic, which ignores both borders and continents, as well as other issues such as Libya and Syria.
At the same time, it serves as a backdrop for the establishment of synergies in various areas such as the economy, energy, transport, tourism, culture, education, civil protection and inter-faith dialogue.
However, in order to consolidate prosperity in the wider region, we need another key ingredient: peace. Unfortunately, peace in our region is threatened on a daily basis by disruptive and revisionist powers that invoke not logic but irrationality.
In order to achieve their ends, these powers carry out numerous unlawful and irrational actions, such as the Turkish-Libyan memorandum. They threaten or actually employ violence. They occupy the territory of other states. They support extremist groups or ideologies, they foster terrorism, they meddle in the domestic affairs of other countries, all with the ultimate goal of overthrowing governments not amicably disposed towards them.
What unites everyone present here today is the condemnation of unlawful actions, the condemnation of irrational actions that subvert peace and security.
Our purpose is to create a bulwark against threats, against violence, against extremism, against intolerance, against the distortion of faith, against irrationality.
This view arises from our common principles, which are none other than those enshrined in the United Nations Charter, namely good neighbourly relations and peaceful resolution of disputes on the basis of international law.
It is clearly not a coincidence that all the countries here today have signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which, as you all know, also constitutes customary law.
Let me be crystal clear. We do not aim to create a defence alliance. This Forum is not pitted against anyone.
We extend the hand of friendship in every direction, with no exceptions, but with a single, key requirement: respect for international law and the core principles of international conduct.
Dear colleagues, our country, Greece, aspires to serve as a bridge between the Eastern Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, the Balkans and the rest of Europe.
At this point, I would like to salute the courage, vision and tireless efforts made by the countries represented here today to advance peace and prosperity in the region.
We are breaking the vicious cycle that has persisted for years. We are endeavouring to open new roads of peace and cooperation.
February 11, 2021