Minister of Foreign Affairs, N. Dendias’, interview on Serbia’s national “RTS CHANNEL” with journalist Natasa Djulic Banovic (15.11.2019)

JOURNALIST: You probably know Serbia that well, not only because of the close ties between the two countries, but as far as I understand, you come from Corfu. Is it obligatory to know?

N. DENDIAS: Yes. Well, I grew up in a city where Serbia is always considered a friend and my law office in Corfu is right opposite to the Consulate of Serbia, so I have been seeing the Serbian flag every morning of my life, at least for 20 years. And also, my apartment where I live, is in a bloc where the Serbian government used to be when King Peter was in exile during the First World War. So, I am psychologically and sentimentally connected with Serbia, as almost everybody in Corfu is.

JOURNALIST: So, as I said, the two countries have good relations and today we heard about the declaration establishing a strategic partnership that is going to be signed in Athens in December. So, what is the importance of this for both countries?

N. DENDIAS: Well, it is really putting in text what is already there, a very close relation. If I may say so, Serbia and Greece do not have good relations, they have excellent relations. Practically, they have no difference at all between them. Talking today with Foreign Minister Dacic and with President Vucic, we had no differences to solve. We discussed the past and we discussed the future but there is no difference between us. There is always an understanding and also an effort to see how we can establish our common future.

JOURNALIST: You also spoke today, I think, about the enlargement process and support to Serbia -not maybe only to Serbia, but to the Western Balkans- because some confusing signals have been sent. France is opposed to enlargement. The European Commission says: yes, we rely on the Western Balkans, we want the Western Balkans. How do you see these confusing signals from Europe?

N. DENDIAS: First of all, let me speak from the Greek point of view. The Balkans is our neighbourhood and Serbia is our friend. North Macedonia is a country that we are building up relations, Albania is a neighbor of ours. We would like -we want, that’s our policy- the Western Balkans to become members of the European Union. The European Union is really a unique historic experiment, but it is a unity of values. And we believe that all European countries should be a member of the European Union. So, we try to have, as much as we can, the Western Balkans, North Macedonia, Albania, especially Serbia, a longtime friend and ally of ours, to become members.

Now, as far as France is concerned, in the last year there has been some sort of doubt in France about the enlargement of the European Union. President Macron has put forward an opinion that could create problems. North Macedonia, Albania were not given a date. This issue has been delayed. Yet again, if I may say so, I think this is a historic experiment. Sometimes we have seen that in Greece: we applied in 1960, we became members in 1980, 20 years later. There are delays, there are obstacles, there are hurdles. Yet, again, I think it will happen.

JOURNALIST: And also, I wanted to ask you, when you mentioned President Macron, he recently sent a very, some say exaggerated message, that Europe is in a very poor condition, let’s say, and that the NATO is brain-dead. Is it an exaggerated statement?

N. DENDIAS: Well, I think it expresses President Macron’s well understood agony about the future. Yet, I think that things are not that bad after all. Allow me to say, that I have seen -I very often use Dusseldorf airport and I drive from Dusseldorf to Holland - as I pass by those fields, I remember how many thousands of young men died there in the first half of the 20th century. I always understand how successful this experiment has been. We have peace, stability in Europe and that’s unique in the history of mankind. So, if I am allowed to say so, yes, there are problems, big problems, but we always have to remember that the European Union is a unique and successful experiment in human history. We have seen it and we have to see it as such. We have delays when we have problems, but if we take a holistic approach, I think it has been extremely successful.

JOURNALIST: I thought also to ask you; your party last year was against the Prespa Agreement. And what attitude does the government take now towards it?

N. DENDIAS: Well, we have been very clear. We are against many issues on the Prespa Agreement. That is true. Yet again, we said from the beginning that, if it is signed and ratified by the Greek Parliament, we will abide by the agreement. That’s that for us and that is what we are going to do. We are saying that openly and clearly to North Macedonia. I am going to Skopje, I think, next week. We have a cordial relation with Prime Minister Zaev. Prime Minister Zaev is in Salonica today, talking to Prime Minister Mitsotakis and we will be talking to Foreign Minister Dimitrov and Prime Minister Zaev next week. I think that North Macedonia will have in Greece the best friend they could ever have.

JOURNALIST: Would you say that the agreement is safe and sound? Because North Macedonia expected a date, as you said, for the opening of the negotiations?

N. DENDIAS: As far as Greece is concerned it is absolutely safe and sound. We always abide by what we have signed, regardless of what we thought before. That’s that, that’s international law, that’s what we are going to do. There is a Treaty, that`s called the Treaty of Vienna, which has to do with the implementation of International Treaties.  We are not allowed to step back. We have signed it. We will abide by it. And, kindly allow me to say, let’s look at the overall picture. What is important is not the difference between Greece and North Macedonia, between Greece and Albania. The fact is that what would be useful for the overall region, for the Western Balkans and for Europe, is to establish a partnership relation with these countries. And I think we have had a good start with North Macedonia. The important issue is that they understand that they should abide by it.

JOURNALIST: In the end, let’s talk just a little bit about migration. Here we have more and more….

N. DENDIAS: That`s a difficult one.

JOURNALIST: Yes. We see more migrants every day in Serbia, more and more in Bosnia. What is the situation like in Greece? Are you taking any special measures?

N. DENDIAS: Well, it is not easy, let me be frank. It’s not easy and a lot of it has to do with Turkey. Turkey in reality instrumentalizes migration. Turkey uses migration as a kind of weapon against the European Union. That’s not permissible. Turkey has to abide, as all of us have to respect human rights. And by no way could migration be used as a weapon. Human souls are human souls, we have to try to help them and protect them. Turkey is using migration flows as a way to blackmail the European Union. I think that is not acceptable. And I am trying to explain that to my Turkish friends and to Foreign Minister Cavusloglu as often as I can. On the other hand, I think that eventually Greece will deal successfully with the migratory flows and will be able to control these phenomena.

JOURNALIST: Thank you very much.

N. DENDIAS: Thank you very much for the opportunity. It’s been a pleasure.