18th Plenary Session of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) New York, 7- 8 July 2015

18th Plenary Session of the Contact Group on Piracy off the
Coast of Somalia (CGPCS)

New York,  7- 8 July 2015


STATEMENT OF GREECE
NEW YORK
Wednesday, 8 July 2015



18th Plenary Session of the Contact Group on Piracy off the
Coast of Somalia (CGPCS)
New York, Wednesday 08 July 2015

Statement of GREECE

Mr. Chairman,

We welcome this meeting and we are convinced that the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) has a critical role towards achieving an effective and sustainable response to piracy.

Greece, a founding member of the Contact Group supports all collective efforts to advance this response. To this end we have actively supported the two major efforts of the EU and its Member States, the EUNAVFOR ATALANTA and the EUCAP Nestor and was in command of operation ATALANTA from December 2008 until April 2009. During the first semesters of 2012 and 2014, Greece allocated one frigate to this operation.

Strengthening the infrastructure of the countries of the region is of paramount importance in order to eliminate piracy. In this direction, the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Center (NMIOTC) in Crete in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization under the initiative "Djibouti Code of Conduct" (DCoC), provides special training to staff from member states participating in this initiative. 298 officers and experts from 19 regional states have been trained so far. 

Moreover, the NMIOTC provides special training courses to a broad range of students and crews of warships participating in counter-piracy operations. The NMIOTC provides this expertise through standardized training or other training tailored to special needs, either in its premises or through mobile training teams.

Mr Chairman,

Since 2012, Greece has put in place, a comprehensive legal framework regulating the presence of private armed guards aboard commercial vessels, including provisions on obligations and responsibility of foreign flag vessels with armed guards on board.

For a maritime nation like Greece, with a shipping industry, the longest coast-line in the European Union, and maritime borders being external sea borders of the European Union, sea and maritime affairs are of particular importance. The adoption of a comprehensive EU Maritime Security Strategy was an overarching project of the Greek Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2014. This Strategy is complemented by an Action Plan that delivers cross-sectoral actions in a comprehensive manner, mainstreaming Maritime Security into EU policies. We believe that such a strategy not only strengthens the Maritime Security of the European Union with positive effects on the competitiveness and blue-growth potential of EU Member States, but   complements and reinforces relevant policies of all concerned states at the national and regional level.

In this context, the Council of Ministers of the EU adopted the “Mid-Term Review of the EU’s Maritime Transport Policy until 2018 and Outlook to 2020” which endorsed the Athens Declaration in June 2014. The “Athens Declaration” reflects our political will to support Maritime Strategy to 2020 including initiatives related to the Maritime Security and Piracy. 

Mr Chairman,

While we prepare to address the multifaceted global challenges of the future, crafting the new Post-2015 Development Agenda, we should not allow the revival of phenomena such as piracy to reverse our efforts to enhance and secure development for the benefit of all nations and future generations.

Thank you