The official visit of the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou to the Portuguese Republic continues today, at the invitation of the President of the country Marcelo Rebelo de Souza.
During yesterday’s welcoming ceremony, Ms. Sakellaropoulou, accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Katsaniotis, laid a wreath in memory of the national poet LuÃs Vaz de Camões at the Hieronymite Monastery, followed by her inauguration by the President of the Republic Presidential palace.
The two Presidents then had a private meeting, followed by extended talks between the delegations.
During the joint press conference of the Presidents, which took place immediately afterwards, Ms. Sakellaropoulou, after warmly thanking Mr. de Souza for the invitation and the warm hospitality, stressed that her visit to Lisbon, during these difficult times for Europe, “It gave us the opportunity to condemn the unprovoked Russian invasion and to express our full support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, who are experiencing situations that we thought we would never see in Europe again.”
He emphasized that the decision to invade Ukraine was unfortunate, but said that it was even more important now with the crisis over Syria. “. However, he noted that “the determination and courage with which the Ukrainian people, the government and President Zelensky are defending their country have moved us all. The European Union and the Member States their”.
He also called for an end to the attacks on civilians in Ukraine and described the protection and coverage of the urgent needs of innocent citizens as a matter of the highest priority, noting that among them is a Greek community of about 100,000 people, settled for centuries in Ukraine, especially around the Mariupol region, which has already mourned victims.
At the same time, he noted that the united and unprecedented European reaction sent a strong message to the Russian leadership and made it clear that “revisionism and efforts to challenge borders and international treaties are unacceptable. Respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as sovereignty” “and adherence to international law are non-negotiable principles for Greece.”
Referring to the bilateral relations between Greece and Portugal, she stated that with Mr. de Souza they carried out an essential overview of the excellent level of our bilateral relations, which are constantly developing in all areas of our joint activity and in all issues of mutual interest, after the very fruitful visits of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs last year to Lisbon.
“In this context, both sides stressed the importance of expanding cooperation in strategic areas for economic development, while considering the possibility of deeper cooperation between us, in the fields of trade, investment and renewable sources,” he added.
He also made special reference to the dialogue on the future of Europe, arguing that we should see very quickly how we can help Ukraine recover. “Both countries have already started to support refugees, a people on the edge of Europe have suddenly become refugees. And we will have to see right after that how Europe can go on with what has already been decided in the Fund,” he said. “Recovery, but at the same time to support the country that is currently suffering so much.”
He also reminded that in order for a country to be accepted as a member of the European Union, it is absolutely necessary to follow the specific procedures provided. “There are countries that are already candidates, let us remind you that in the Western Balkans the process is ongoing, Europe has not forgotten them. Since, I repeat, and this includes our neighboring Turkey, they accept the principles of Europe and the criteria of conditionality.” completed.
Answering a question on whether the European Union has the tools to deal collectively today with both the energy, the economic and the food crisis that is deepening due to the war, Ms. Sakellaropoulou, among other things, stated that “it is very difficult to assess the consequences of an evolving, tragic situation, such as the one that emerged after the invasion of Ukraine. ” However, he noted that “the European Union has shown very strong reflexes during the pandemic. And immediately. very important”.
At the same time, he stressed that “the concept of strategic autonomy should be of concern to all Member States, the issue of the European Union’s defense and, above all, of course, energy issues, because they have to do with the daily life of society” and expressed the hope that “from the experience of the past and from the very good cooperation and the possibility of transgressions recently demonstrated by the Member States and their leaders, everything possible will be done to find solutions and take the appropriate decisions to support vulnerable citizens and the economy “.
Asked what Greece has learned from the refugee crisis of recent years, which could serve the European Union now that it is called upon to receive Ukrainian refugees, the President of the Republic said, among other things: Greece had the unfavorable privilege of being the first country to receive such large waves of immigrants and refugees from 2015. And it experienced this great crisis which, of course, was later experienced by Italy, Spain and other countries. to a later period, in February 2020, when our neighbor Turkey tried to instrumentalize these unfortunate people and create a problem on the borders of the country, which is also the border of Europe, where Greece reacted effectively and saw the support of the European Union, you will remember that Charles Michel, Ursula von der Leyen and the late David Sassoli came to my country, visited Evros with the former minister and found out the extent of the problem “.
In the same vein, he stressed that “the double issue, which always highlights what we call the immigration / refugee problem, is that on the one hand the Member States, in accordance with the provisions of the treaties, have the right and obligation to protect the borders on the other hand, of course, there are the principles of humanity, these people, whether they are refugees or economic migrants, have a reason to try for a better life If they manage to combine and find the right balance between responsibility and solidarity, if everyone bears the burden of responsibility, then there is hope. “But that presupposes that everyone should show the same good faith, because one, two or three countries can not lift all this weight.”
He concluded by saying that “so far Europe has not been able to have a proper immigration policy” and noted that “the Dublin agreement has now been overcome and the issue needs to be addressed in a different way. Turkey does not agree to implement this “We have a number of problems and we know that efforts are under way to find a new agreement on immigration.”
The President of Portugal, Mr. de Souza, for his part, warmly welcomed Ms. Sakellaropoulou to Portugal, “a sister country”, as he characteristically said, noting that the visit was planned after the inauguration of the President, but because of pandemic was slow to take place.
He went on to say that the occasion of the Greek President’s official visit “coincides with an important phase in Portuguese politics. The emergence of a new government after the elections, which is the highest democratic duty of the people. And the concept of democracy is certainly an ideal “So, your visit is a happy coincidence.”
“We owe a lot to Greece, they are our roots” he stressed and pointed out the excellent level of relations between the two countries. He also condemned Russia’s attack, saying “we were and are together in sanctions and will do whatever it takes to achieve peace” and called for “unity in the European Union”. He concluded that “both Portugal and Greece are working together with other European countries, seeking solutions to the consequences we are already feeling because of an unjust war that has put the people of Ukraine in a difficult position.”
Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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