Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis meets with members of the Bundestag Committee on the Affairs of the European Union and its Deputy Chairman, Markus Töns(Berlin, 30 Jan)

The Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, met with members of the Bundestag Committee on the Affairs of the European Union, headed by its Deputy Chairman, Markus Töns, in Berlin. During the meeting, Mr Varvitsiotis briefed the German MPs - representatives of all the parties on a number of crucial issues concerning the future of Europe and Greece’s position towards them.

More specifically, the talks focused on the new Financial Framework 2021-2027, the Migration issue, the unlawful actions of Turkey in the Southeastern Mediterranean and Libya, and the Enlargement of the EU in the Western Balkans. Particular emphasis was placed on the Greek Government’s reform agenda, as well as the economic recovery achieved during this period, following 10 years of economic crisis.

“Through our government’s reform agenda, Greece is making an economic comeback and is playing a leading role in European affairs”, stressed Mr Varvitsiotis, among other things. He also referred to the message of trust sent by European citizens, “a message that must be reflected in a fair and modern EU budget that does not sacrifice the traditional policies of Cohesion and the CAP that made the EU a success story”.

With regard to the migration issue, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs underlined that the only way to address this phenomenon is to assemble a common, decisive, Europe-wide stance with a fair burden-sharing mechanism to protect the borders and values of Europe.

Finally, as regards the enlargement of the EU in the Western Balkans, Mr Varvitsiotis noted that Greece is taking political initiatives appropriate to its unique position in the Balkan region. “Greece is the oldest EU Member State in the Balkans and has played a historic, decisive role in its integration. Greece bordering Balkan countries that will belong to the European Union for the first time would be a challenge and an opportunity for stability in the region”, he concluded.