N. Dendias: A conflict in Ukraine will not have a winner

LAST UPDATE: 14.14

Security in Europe, with an emphasis on Ukraine and the Eastern Mediterranean, was the focus of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias’s meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow. The talks ended shortly after 1 pm Greek time, while Turkey’s attitude towards Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean region as a whole was on the table.

“The capricio” characterized Ukraine’s desire to join NATO by the Russian Foreign Minister, while Mr. Dendias stressed that Greece “respects the concerns of both Russia and the rest” while warning that a war will only have losers.

“We were on the same side with Russia against Nazism,” Nikos Dendias recalled, referring to World War II. Following the meeting K. Mitsotaki- See. “Last December, Putin stressed the need for cooperation in energy, tourism and tackling the pandemic,” said Nikos Dendias.

“We agreed to continue the dialogue on all security issues in Europe”

Referring to the international conditions of respect for European security and territorial sovereignty, Mr. Dendias stressed that Greece respects and serves them.

It is known to which Alliance Greece belongs, but this did not hinder our good relations with Russia, the Foreign Minister pointed out, emphasizing that “Greece has always been in favor of an honest dialogue.”

“We are listening carefully to Russian concerns about its security and taking into account the concerns of others.”

“We advocate dialogue based on the rules of international law and support the need to de-escalate and abide by the Minsk agreements,” Nikos Dendias added.

In a special reference to the Greek community in Ukraine, he reiterated that the Mitsotakis government will do whatever is necessary to protect it.

“A conflict in Ukraine will not have a winner, we will all be lost,” said the head of Greek diplomacy.

“Turkey continues non-existent claims”

Regarding the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, Mr. Dendias informed Mr. Lavrov about the continuing destabilizing behavior of Turkey, which, as he said, “continues the non-existent claims while everyone’s attention is focused on Eastern Europe”.

He even made a special reference to casus belli, noting that Turkey is the only country on the planet that officially threatens another country with war if the latter exercises its rights deriving from international law.

S. Lavrov: We are very interested in cooperation with Greece

“Athens is our important partner in Europe. We discussed topical issues of mutual cooperation in the framework of the Mitsotaki-Putin agreements and the joint action plan 2022-2024,” said Sergei Lafrov.

“Bilateral trade with Greece has increased by 67%, reaching 4.5 billion euros, a volume that is a record since 2012,” he added.

“Greece’s supply of natural gas ensures 40% of its needs and the new agreement until 2026 contributes to this,” said the Russian Foreign Minister, stressing at the same time that “the security of these supplies has been established”.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Minister said that weapons banned by the Minsk Agreements are being used in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, describing the increase in mortar strikes in the region as “worrying”.

He accused the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) peace monitoring commission in eastern Ukraine of trying to cover up “ceasefire violations” by the Ukrainian government.

Today’s meeting is our 5th meeting in the last 2.5 years. I consider this to be a very important meeting, in which we will discuss in depth the security situation in Europe (statements at the beginning of the meeting with 🇷🇺 Foreign Minister S. Lavrov). pic.twitter.com/KdjO6g8aHj

– Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) February 18, 2022