N. Dendias: Greek letter to The Hague on war crimes in Mariupol

“A letter was sent to the Attorney General of the International Criminal Court by Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, asking him to investigate the crimes committed in Mariupol and in the villages of Sartana and Volnovaka, where at the beginning of the war there were expatriate victims,” ​​he told “.

“We will continue to raise the issue of Mariupol in all forums and emphasize that the commission of war crimes should be thoroughly investigated,” he said.

“For Greece, the protection of civilians and the provision of humanitarian aid to the Greek community in Ukraine is a top priority, especially in the Black Sea coastal cities, such as Mariupol and Odessa, where the Greek element has lived for centuries,” he said. , while recalling his recent visit to Odessa.

“Unfortunately, the situation in Mariupol is tragic and the city has virtually ceased to exist,” he said, adding that “we are not allowed to go there in order not to see for ourselves the magnitude of the disaster.”

The Foreign Minister clarified that “Greece will continue to support, as a fundamental principle, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine” and stressed that despite the historical ties that our country has with Russia, “Greece had no choice”. .

“He has done what the principles he serves dictate, the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations: Respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of states,” he said.

“Greece condemns any invasion as a starting point. We would be inconsistent if, defending our positions, for example in the Cyprus issue, we did not defend the same principles in every case.”

“Russia, through its actions, unfortunately did not allow us a choice. The level of Greek-Russian relations is the result of the choices of the Russian government, not our country,” he said.

The foreign minister said that “no one can predict the next moves of the Russian side”, while “in theory, even a possible attack in Odessa could be the trigger for the expansion of hostilities in other countries.”

Regarding the application of Sweden and Finland to join NATO, he states that any relevant decision is a sovereign choice of these countries. “Both countries are our partners in the European Union, they contribute to European security and, of course, if they choose to join NATO, Greece has no reason to oppose it in the first place.”

He reminds that Greece, in contrast to Turkey, which does not allow the rapprochement of Austria and Cyprus with NATO, does not use its position in NATO to promote selfish interests.

Greece’s important role in the EU energy independence

Referring to the Greek-American relations, Mr. Dendias notes that the rapid transfer of American forces to strengthen the eastern wing of NATO, through the Greek facilities, proves the special importance of the signing of the second amendment of the US-Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement. (MDCA).

“Once again, the decisive role that our country plays in terms of the stability of the wider region, in such a critical time, is highlighted, something that, moreover, American officials have also underlined”, he underlines and adds that Greece’s expectation is to maintain and strengthen relations with the US and in this context the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington is planned soon.

The cooperation with the USA in the “3 + 1” format (Greece, Israel, Cyprus and the USA), in the framework of which a meeting of the Foreign Ministers is expected, possibly in the coming weeks, “will contribute to the planning of joint actions, which aimed at promoting security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean “. He emphasizes the importance that the United States attaches to the leading and stabilizing role that Greece plays in the Western Balkans.

Our country “has the opportunity to play an important role in the EU’s efforts for energy independence from Russia”, as it can become a regional gas delivery station, through the liquefied natural gas conversion facilities in Revythousa and Alexandroupolis (FSRU). and gas pipelines (TAP and IGB). The possibility of exploiting deposits is also being considered, as the Prime Minister recently announced.

However, he emphasizes that “the energy transition sector is a key priority of our country and the government and this strategy does not change.”

Regarding the project for the EastMed pipeline, he notes that “it remains” alive “as never before, but the final decision for its implementation will be taken with economic and environmental criteria”, while reminding “the uninterrupted US support for the electricity interconnection between Greece , Cyprus and Israel, the “Euro-Asia Interconnector”, which has exactly the same route as the East-Med pipeline “.

Greek foreign policy should not be a misprint of Turkish

Asked about Turkey’s stance on the war in Ukraine, which has been described as “expert neutral”, Mr. Dendias clarified that “Greek foreign policy can not and should not be a bad example of Turkish”.

“Historically, Turkey has been trying to play the role of an ‘intermediate’ force,” he said. “On the contrary, Greece has managed to be an integral part of a specific political, cultural and value space, much more advanced. This has been our great historical success.”

“If we try to copy Turkey, we will be mispronounced and face problems of unreliability without benefits,” he said.

He also notes that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought against it all the democracies that have imposed sanctions.

“The practices that were accepted in the 19th or even part of the 20th century find themselves facing the solid front of the Republics,” he points out, adding: “The threat or use of force is morally legitimized. They are no longer seen simply as a disturbing contradiction, but as what it really is: a serious threat to international peace and security.”

Regarding the escalation of Turkish provocations in the Aegean, the Foreign Minister points out that Greece has protested strongly to the Turkish side, both in Athens and in Ankara, emphasizing that any violation of national sovereignty and territorial integrity is a flagrant violation of the International .

“We emphasize that these actions are not in line with de-escalation efforts” and “we emphasize that there are no two measures and two weights for violations of international law.”

Referring to the Western Balkans, he says that already before the outbreak of the war there were outbreaks of destabilization, especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the ominous scenario of an ignition has not been ruled out and points out that the answer to the challenges is to “flee forward” through strengthening the European perspective of the region.

He reminded that Greece has pioneered the shaping of the European perspective of the Western Balkans and continues to work for it, while the immediate priority is the start of EU accession negotiations with Albania and Northern Macedonia.

Source: AMPE