Main points of Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis’ speech at the German Embassy event marking Germany’s assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the EU (1 July 2020)

Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis participated as a keynote speaker in the German Embassy’s event marking Germany’s assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In this context, he stressed, among other things, that “the European Union must respond with generosity to the challenges of the current situation.”  Mr. Varvitsiotis highlighted that the priorities of the German Presidency are in line with those of Greece, noting that we will try to work together closely during the Presidency.

He also underscored the urgent need for the European economy to recover, pointing to the impact a long-term crisis would have on the economy and stressing that, in this context, we have to move fast on the Recovery Plan and the next community budget. “The recovery fund is a major challenge,” he said, that has to be dealt with quickly and resolutely so that the Union can respond to market pressures and we can protect our common currency and our common economy.

The Alternate Minister also talked about the migration issue, emphasising that the events in Evros proved that Turkey is exploiting migrants and refugees in an attempt to blackmail Brussels, Berlin and all the other European capitals for more money and more attention. “We have the same security concerns and the same humanitarian concerns,” he noted, stressing the need for cooperation among the European partners, under the guidance of the German Presidency, so that we can find a sustainable solution that unites us.

Finally, referring to Turkey’s increasingly provocative conduct, he underscored that, with a single voice, the European Union sends a message to its neighbours that no action disputing the sovereignty of a member state will be tolerated.