D. AVRAMOPOULOS: A warm welcome to the Foreign Minister of the Netherlands, my very good friend Frans Timmermans, with whom we had a very useful exchange of views on many issues of mutual interest.
This visit reaffirms the very good level of our bilateral relations, and it opens up new prospects for further strengthening our cooperation in all sectors.
The Netherlands Foreign Minister and I talked about the positive results of the implementation of the structural reforms in Greece. I stressed to Frans that these results have been achieved thanks to the implementation of reforms and the great sacrifices and resolve of the Greek people. Regarding the reforms, I underscored to Mr. Timmermans that the participation of the Netherlands in the Task Force for Greece is of great importance to us.
We also talked about the preparations for the Greek EU Presidency in the first half of 2014, and the priorities Greece has set.
Naturally, we talked about the developments in Cyprus. It is vital that the economy and economic activity start functioning smoothly again immediately. We also need to support tourism, which is an invaluable development tool for the Republic of Cyprus. We have an open line with our Cypriot brothers so that we can support the efforts they are making in every way, and we will do so.
Mr. Timmermans and I also discussed Turkey’s European perspective, as well as recent developments on a bilateral level – Greek-Turkish relations – and with regard to Cyprus. You are well aware that Greece has consistently supported the European perspective of neighbouring Turkey. But a prerequisite of this perspective is respect for international law and compliance with the European acquis. Particularly today, when Cyprus is facing its biggest crisis since the invasion, it is unthinkable that anyone should talk of partitioning. Anyone who invests in the crisis is making a strategic error. Cyprus is an intrinsic part of the European family, and Europe will emerge from this crisis stronger and more unified.
With regard to enlargement, we agreed that at this critical time for our region, candidate countries’ European perspectives continue to function as a catalyst for reforms. But – and I discussed this in depth with Mr. Timmermans – nationalism is a real threat that we have to meet, making it clear to the leaderships in the region that nationalism has no place in today’s Europe.
We also looked at the issue of illegal migration. Our partners need to be aware that Greece has, in the past decade, come under pressure from intensive immigrant flows.
The dimensions of this phenomenon – particularly in the current difficult economic state of affairs – render collective European responses imperative. Greece cannot shoulder the weight of this European problem on its own.
Finally, we exchanged views on the developments in Syria and the wider Middle East. Unfortunately, we see it confirmed every day, in the most tragic of manners, that there cannot and will not be a military solution in Syria. The longer we wait for a dialogue and a substantial political process to begin, the higher the price is in human lives. The more the humanitarian disaster grows.
That is why it is so important for the international community to fall in line behind the UN to apply pressure for the initiation of a dialogue, with the participation of all parties. And the first order of business must be a ceasefire and protection of the Syrian people.
My dear Frans, once again I welcome you to Greece, where you and your compatriots are always welcome to visit us and enjoy Greece’s hospitality, of which we are very proud.
At this point I would like to say that this year – and I was very pleased to hear this – our friends from the Netherlands will be visiting our country by the hundreds of thousands. An increase of some 20%, which once again reaffirms the feelings the Dutch people have for our country and our people, and Greeks share the same feelings for the Dutch.
The crisis and the way we are handling the crisis in Europe has brought our two peoples closer together. Historical bonds, strong bonds for very many years, are now, in the new state of affairs, taking on a new dimension and new prospects. Mr. Timmermans’ visit to Athens marks the beginning of a new chapter in our bilateral relations on all levels: in the economy, in diplomacy, in culture, tourism and politics.
I thank him once again for the very heartfelt and friendly meeting we had, and I also extended an invitation for his next trip to Greece to be with his familiy, because, as I said earlier, I am sure that he, like his compatriots, will enjoy Greece’s hospitality.
My dear Frans, welcome to our homeland. You have the floor.
F. TIMMERMANS: Ευχαριστώ πολύ, κύριε Αβραμόπουλε. [Thank you very much, Mr. Avramopoulos.] This is about all the Greek you are going to get out of me. I am very sorry, I don’t speak Greek. Thank you very much, Dimitris, for this warm welcome, I feel at home immediately, and you can rest assured I will certainly be back, also in a private capacity.
I agree with your statement. We have had very good talks this morning, and I want to reiterate that my mission here is to take our diplomatic relations to a higher level. We are partners in Europe, we have a common agenda in the international arena, we have common interests, and we should look for more ways to promote them together. In the midst of this crisis, what we need to do is for our people to know more about each other. That is why I am so happy that this year the bookings of Dutch tourists coming to Greece are 20% higher than last year, and let’s make it an extra 20% every year if we can, because the more Dutch people travel to Greece, the more they get a feeling of the realities Greece is facing in the midst of this crisis, and the more we can combat stereotypes that exist in the Netherlands about Greece. And I hope that we can also combat stereotypes that exist in Greece about the Netherlands in the same way.
Many of your students are very successful in Dutch universities. Our companies work together in a very good and constructive way. We need to make sure that investments will be on the rise in the future, and as Foreign Ministers we have a great responsibility to create more stability in our own region, in the Middle East, also in the Balkans, where Greece is taking upon itself a great responsibility, and is a force for the good, for stability and we want to be part of your efforts to create that stability.
But above all of this, I believe that we need to be completely conscious of the fact that there is no Greek solution to this crisis, there is no Dutch solution to this crisis, there is only a European solution to this crisis. We are in this together, and we will only come out of this together, and there should be more understanding for the efforts made by Greece, and I salute your government for the courageous steps that will help Greece come out of this crisis. And there should be more understanding for the suffering that the Greek people are also going through because of this crisis. At the same time, I also believe there should also be more understanding for the fact that there is an expression of solidarity from other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, in these times of crisis.
Once again, Dimitris, thank you very much for your extremely friendly reception, and let me reiterate again that we will remain close friends. Thank you.
JOURNALIST: The first question is for both Foreign Ministers. You discussed the crisis in Cyprus and you discussed Turkey. You said that those who invest in capitalizing on the crisis in Cyprus are making a strategic error. What is the EU’s position, the message to Nicosia regarding these developments, during the crisis Cyprus is going through.
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: What I said before, and I repeat it, is a general principle: no one must invest in the crisis. The opposite should be the case: everyone should contribute so that we can get through the crisis and open a new horizon for everyone. As I have often said, crises are like pandemics: you never know when they will knock on your door, and crises know no borders. The global community needs, in a spirit of solidarity, to confront a situation that is taking on dangerous dimensions throughout the world, and particularly in our region, which has its own characteristics and sensitivities.
Cyprus is not alone as it goes through this crisis. I has Greece at its side, of course, and it also has the European family at its side, and I will agree completely with what Frans said earlier: that there is no Greek solution, no Dutch solution, nor a Cypriot solution. There is a European solution.
The European structure is integrated and will never allow any of its members to falter, because that might lead to overall collapse. The principle of solidarity is being tested in Europe, and it is bringing to the surface things and characteristics that had not been tested in the past, and through this experience Europe is getting stronger, and we all have an obligation to contribute to this. In this way we are helping to realize the dreams of the visionaries who conceived of a united Europe.
As I have said many times in the past, Europe’s visionaries did not imagine a vast accounting office that would simply be called Europe. They wanted to see the European peoples co-exist harmoniously, collaborate on all levels to shape a new environment of stability, prospects, development, progress and prosperity for all, because past experience led them to this decision.
The fact that our generations did not live through what previous generations of Europeans experienced does not mean that we have not learned the lessons history teaches us. What Europe is living through today is a new form of war. This war may not destroy buildings or kill people, but it murders dreams and achievements, and the European Union is our common achievement, so we are all determined to grow even further in strength and power in the face of any kind of crisis or threat. And in our neighbourhood – since you mentioned it in your question – the doors have been thrown open wide for our neighbouring countries to cross the threshold into the European family, under the conditions set by Europe itself – and I set them out earlier.
And since you mentioned our relations with Turkey, the latest Summit Meeting, which took place in Istanbul, produced only positive results. Our policy on our neighbouring country is founded on a basic principle, a new principle we have introduced: honest diplomacy. And this was even more apparent in the recent exchange of letters with the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
These are crystal clear terms. The truth is there. The reality of the situation is there. But above all, what will be tested is our common will to open new paths and new prospects in the name of our bilateral relations, in the name of the relations between our two peoples, thus contributing to the consolidation and strengthening of security and stability in this sensitive region of Europe. That is the message Greek foreign policy is sending. A clear and sincere message. We are moving in the spirit of and on the basis of European principles, which are the common acquis of all the peoples in this great new European family. And everyone who adopts these principles and respects them – everyone who accepts them – finds the doors open.
F. TIMMERMANS: Just very briefly, I have very little to add to that. Just to express my satisfaction on my personal behalf, but also on behalf of my government, for the fact that Greece and Turkey are collaborating in such a constructive way on an issue that has been part of our history for generations. And I do believe that this constructive and rational approach to these issues will bring us closer to a solution. And it is quite clear to me that these are European solutions, because this is part of our European family, and as you know very well, in Greece we have - as Europeans - a tradition of solving our family problems within our family.
JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, I would like to ask whether your government shares the position presented by the President of the Eurogroup and former Finance Minister of the Netherlands – that the solution for Cyprus is a precedent for the solution of other such crises in Europe, in the Eurozone.
F. TIMMERMANS: I do not believe that is the position of the President of the Eurogroup, but you have asked the position of the Dutch Government. It is very clear, there is no template. Every situation will need a tailor-made solution. And what we have seen in the solution for Cyprus was the solution for Cyprus only, because there are very, very specific conditions which exist in Cyprus and Cyprus only. People in Cyprus speak Greek, I know, but Greece is a completely different situation from the situation in Cyprus. The position of my government on this cannot be clearer than I have just said to you.
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: Thank you very much.
April 2, 2013