During my visit to India, I first had a meeting and a working lunch with the Minister of External Affairs, Dr. Jaishankar. It was our third meeting within a year.
As expected, we discussed, first of all, the crisis in Ukraine. I conveyed to him the views of the Greek side, the fact that the Greek side has imposed sanctions on Russia, in accordance with the decisions of the European Union. We agreed that this situation is completely incompatible with International Law and that attempting to change borders by force and disregarding territorial integrity falls entirely outside the framework of International Law. This discussion took place, inter alia, due to the fact that India is a member of the United Nations Security Council.
Furthermore, we discussed a number of issues, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Cyprus issue. Cyprus has had historical relations with India, dating back to the time of Archbishop Makarios and Prime Minister Nehru. We also discussed the issue of the development of economic relations between Greece and India.
I did not fail to emphasise the Greek positions on the Law of the Sea, on the maritime security. As is well known, India has also signed UNCLOS, the Convention on the Law of the Sea, and has a particular interest in the Indo-Pacific region.
I also had the opportunity to be received by the Vice President of India, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu. I conveyed the wishes of the Prime Minister, Mr. Mitsotakis, and we discussed the same issues of common interest.
Beyond that, during my visit here, I received a phone call from my friend, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Mr. Dmytro Kuleba. He was kind enough to call me so as to convey the gratitude of his government, of President Zelenskyy, for Greece's effort to deliver humanitarian aid to Mariupol. He painted a bleak picture of the situation in Mariupol; a situation that is completely unacceptable, completely incompatible with Humanitarian Law, a situation that causes major problems, leading to the loss of civilians’ lives, a situation that is totally condemnable; beyond anything stipulated in International Law.
March 23, 2022