Statements by Minister of Foreign Affairs, G. Katrougalos, on Qatari national TV in the context of his visit to the emirate of Qatar (Doha, 02.05.2019)

JOURNALIST: Your Excellency, let’s talk about your visit to Qatar, how it’s going to help develop the relationship between Qatar and Greece?

G. KATROUGALOS: Greece has always had excellent, brotherly I would say, relations with the Arab world and Qatar is now becoming a hub for the whole region. So, it’s very natural that we want to develop our bilateral economic relations. I came here with many Greek enterprises for the Economic Forum and I also had the honour to be received by His Royal Highness the Emir. I also had bilateral discussions with my counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other members of the government.

JOURNALIST: How do you describe the historic relationship between Qatar and Greece?

G. KATROUGALOS: As I said, we have always had brotherly relations with all of the Arab world. Greece has never been a colonial power and always wanted to develop its role as a kind of bridge between Europe and the Arab world, but, on top of that, we want also to develop deeper economic ties.

JOURNALIST: What do you think about the embargo that was enforced upon Qatar by neighbouring countries, and what of the prospects for resolving this crisis?

G. KATROUGALOS: We hope that it’s going to be resolved through dialogue and political means and we hope for a swift de-escalation.

JOURNALIST:  What do you think of it, is it legal or not?

G. KATROUGALOS: I don’t want to comment on legal terms, what I am saying is that we want to be a mediating force if our services are required, and that we hope it will be resolved through political dialogue.