Written statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, following his meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Ivica Dacic (Athens, 12 June 2020)

I was very pleased today to receive my dear friend the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic.

We had the opportunity to discuss and exchange views on various issues and on ways to further enhance our already excellent relations. The ties between the two countries are strong and derive from the timeless friendship between our peoples and our common religious and cultural tradition.

On the political level, the two countries’ excellent relations were reaffirmed by the 3rd Meeting of the Greek-Serbian High-Level Cooperation Council, which took place last December in Athens and led to the signing of the Joint Declaration on Establishing a Strategic Partnership, which is an important tool for deepening our multifaceted relations.

We also talked about the coronavirus pandemic and expressed our will to work together in a wide range of sectors to respond to the repercussions, not only in our countries, but also in our wider region.

I reiterated our country’s firm support for Serbia’s European perspective. It is a longstanding goal of Greek foreign policy to help integrate the countries of the Western Balkans into the European family. Accession to the EU will create the necessary conditions for the creation of a space of peace, stability and security, without external interventions that have a destabilising effect on the region. And Serbia has taken important steps in the direction of EU accession.

Regarding the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, I reiterated that our Greece's position on the status of Kosovo will remain unchanged until such time as a final agreement is reached.

We also had the opportunity to discuss the historic signing of the Greek-Italian agreement on delimitation of EEZs. An agreement that is a model for the settlement and resolution of pending bilateral issues, with results that are mutually beneficial and always within the framework of international law and good neighbourly relations.

Finally, I touched on the recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, and especially the conduct of Turkey, which continues to function in a way that jeopardises peace and stability in the region.