The message that Greece supports the fundamental principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries, as well as that it condemns the use of force or the threat of use of force against any country, was sent during a joint interview with its Finnish counterpart in Helsinki Peka Havisto , the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias. He also said that the Greek government, the Mitsotakis government, will stand by the EU partners, fully respecting the principles of European solidarity.
In the light of the challenges to international law and the rule-based international order, Nikos Dendias briefed the Finnish Foreign Minister on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, on the escalation of Turkish rhetoric. “I must say that at this critical juncture for the solidarity and cohesion of the Western Alliance, at a time when this solidarity must be demonstrated in all its forms, it is very strange that Turkey, a member of NATO and an ally “decided to launch a series of provocative and illegal actions against another member state, Greece,” the Foreign Minister underlined. More specifically, he characterized as completely unacceptable the recent statements of Turkish officials who question Greek sovereignty in the Aegean islands. “They are not just unacceptable to us. They have been rejected by the EU, by the US State Department, by the British Foreign Office, among others,” said Nikos Dendias, who welcomed the statements made by Greece’s partners and allies.
He also reiterated that Greece always seeks a constructive dialogue with Turkey, but a dialogue based on International Law and the International Law of the Sea.
Addressing his Finnish counterpart Peka Havisto, he warmly thanked him for supporting European values ​​and principles during his recent visit to Ankara.
Furthermore, the two Foreign Ministers discussed the situation in Eastern Europe and in particular in Ukraine. In particular, Nikos Dendias expressed his particular concern about any possible escalation in Ukraine and noted that Greece has 150,000 Greek expatriates living there, especially in the area around Mariupol. In addition, he pointed out that the Greek community living on both sides of the line of contact has suffered greatly from this crisis and referred to yesterday’s loss of two Greeks in Ukraine in a clash, for an insignificant reason, with the responsibility of Ukrainian soldiers.
In this context, the Foreign Minister once again called on all parties to de-escalate today, to avoid steps that could cause uncontrollable events and stressed that especially in difficult times, the channels of communication must be maintained. He took the opportunity to reiterate that Greece considers Russia part of the European security architecture and noted that he would travel to Moscow in two days, at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
During the joint press conference, Nikos Dendias referred to bilateral relations, with emphasis on the common historical ties between the two countries, recalling that in 2019 the two countries celebrated the completion of 100 years of diplomatic relations. Furthermore, it focused on the untapped potential for the development of bilateral relations. “We had the opportunity to discuss future cooperation,” said Nikos Dendias. He also noted that it is very important for Greece to strengthen consultations between the two countries and cooperation in the fields of economy, environmental protection and waste management, as stated by his Finnish counterpart.
Nikos Dendias also thanked for the large number of tourists from Finland who visit Greece every year. In fact, he said, Greece looks forward to expanding cooperation in the field of tourism.
Finally, the two Foreign Ministers referred to the cooperation between the two countries within the EU, with Nikos Dendias expressing his appreciation for this cooperation.
It is noted that the Finnish Foreign Minister reserved a warm welcome to Nikos Dendias. “It was a great pleasure to receive the Greek Foreign Minister in Helsinki today. Excellent and timely discussions on current bilateral and international affairs, including European security,” Peka Havisto wrote on Twitter.
After their one-on-one meeting, the two foreign ministers took part in a roundtable discussion at the Finnish Foreign Ministry on developments in Eastern Europe.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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