N. Dendias: Greece strengthens its international position with strong alliances and new agreements

“Greece is strengthening its international position with strong alliances and new agreements,” said Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in an article in the World Review of Euro2day.gr and the New York Times.

“With confidence and confidence in Greece of creation and development, in Greece of expanded alliances and collaborations, we will continue to meet the challenges of the 21st century,” he notes.

As Mr. Dendias emphasizes, the international environment is changing rapidly and the correlations are changing. In particular, the US is giving more and more weight to the Indo-Pacific, shifting its interest outside Europe, while the European Union is looking for ways to strengthen its defense capabilities.

He also points out that new global players, such as China and India, are making their appearance in the Mediterranean. The traditional dividing lines in the Middle East are disappearing, especially after the agreements between Israel and the Arab countries.

“On the other hand, both our country and all the countries in our region face daily challenges from a revising Turkey,” he said. destabilizes neighboring countries through direct and indirect interventions and uses aggressive rhetoric on an almost daily basis. ”

“Greece’s policy is adapting to the new data with a constant focus on respect for international law. Our country acquires a say and a role in regional developments, facing the risks and taking advantage of the opportunities presented,” said the Foreign Minister.

Mr. Dendias notes that in the last two years the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis has achieved tangible results. In particular, it recalls the signing of the EEZ delimitation agreements with Italy and Egypt and the political agreement to resolve the same issue at the International Court of Justice in The Hague with Albania.

“We reaffirm the primacy of international law in our relations with neighboring countries and demonstrate that it is the only basis for resolving outstanding disputes,” he said.

“We are shielding the country through bilateral defense agreements, both with traditional allies such as France and the United States and with new partners such as the United Arab Emirates. We have signed a memorandum of cooperation with Great Britain, which also has a defense dimension.” adds Mr. Dendias.

“These agreements create an impenetrable network of understanding in the context of modern international relations. They also strengthen European defense and the transatlantic link,” he said.

According to him, Greece is building a wide network of partnerships, “in order to face together the new challenges and threats, whether they are manifested in our immediate vicinity or are global, such as climate change and the pandemic.” “Our intention is to consolidate security and stability in our wider neighborhood, as without them there can be no security in our country,” he added.

“We are moving at the base of five equally important concentric circles,” Dendias said. “We are building our relations with our European partners. in which lived historical Greek communities, such as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia or Armenia, with which we have close ties “.

He also says that Greece is consolidating traditionally friendly relations with Middle Eastern countries, starting with Egypt and Israel. It builds bridges with the Arab world, from Oman to Morocco through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tunisia and other countries, and attaches particular importance to the stabilization of fragile states such as Libya.

“We support, both politically and in practice, the European perspective of the Western Balkans”, he notes, both “why Greece, being the first country in the region to join the European family, should set an example”, and “why we should “limit the penetration of other powers that want to revive empires of the past.”

The Foreign Minister makes special reference to the “special, now, relationship with the United States, a relationship which, after the recent agreement, has entered a new, unique era of harmony and strategic dialogue.”

“Finally, we maintain and strengthen our relations with the permanent members of the Security Council, with whom we have historical, economic and cultural ties, such as Russia and China,” he said. “We are building relationships with countries that share the same values ​​as us, such as the world’s largest democracy, India, Australia, and sub-Saharan Africa, such as Rwanda, a model country for social and economic reconstruction, and Ghana, the first country which resulted from the decolonization “, he points out.

“With our efforts we have confirmed that Greece is not the problematic and bankrupt partner, but a bridge between Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as an oasis of security and prosperity in a troubled region”, concludes Mr. Dendias.

SOURCE: AMPE