Statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, to the Athens daily ‘Proto Thema’ regarding High-Level week of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York (1 October 2019)

After a very productive week of meetings and contacts, the participation of the Greek delegation at the UN General Assembly, under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, came to a successful close.

With the aim of promoting a new profile for our country on the international stage, a new Greece that is turning a new page and is again finding its pace with confidence in international developments, the Greek delegation’s meetings confirmed that Greece is not only an anchor of stability in its wider area, but also a trusted partner that contributes constructively on the major issues of our time, such as climate change and migration.

In this effort to jump-start Greek foreign policy, Greek diplomacy is cultivating a number of ‘concentric circles’ of cooperation and dialogue. It remains firmly committed to international legality, as the indispensable framework for the promotion of international relations and the settlement of disputes. Having placed great emphasis on the creation of a positive agenda of cooperation with our neighbours in the Balkans and Southeastern Europe, as shown first and foremost in the Prime Minister’s meeting with the President of Turkey, Greece is redefining its relations with its traditional partners and allies in Europe, expanding its cooperation with the USA and other major ‘players’ on the international stage, such as China, and is strengthening its international trade and economic relations.

Greek diplomacy successfully passed the ‘test’. Our country is gaining new momentum, leaving the crisis behind and moving ahead based on an open, substantial and multilevel foreign policy.