Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is leaving for Russia next week, where he will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, at the invitation of Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Papaioannou, during a briefing for diplomats.
Specifically, Mr. Dendias will leave for Moscow on February 17, in order to meet with Mr. Lavrov on February 18. As Mr. Papaioannou reminded, this is the third visit of the Foreign Minister to Russia, while in December the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had gone to Sochi to meet with the Russian President.
The meeting will discuss a number of issues, the bilateral relations between the two countries, cooperation in both economic and cultural issues, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Cyprus issue, the wider developments in the region, as well as developments in Eastern Europe. He pointed out that the Greek-Russian relations are historical, noble, while maintaining an honest and constructive dialogue.
As the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified, “Greece is a member country of the EU and the North Atlantic Alliance, NATO”. But, he added, Greece always emphasizes to all our interlocutors that the maintenance of communication channels is important and added: “We consider Russia as a key and integral part of the European security architecture”.
“We stress to everyone the need for de-escalation, a message that we are not only conveying to the Russian side, but to all sides. Any escalation of the situation will be to the detriment of all,” he said, stressing Greece’s particular concern for the Greek side. community in the area numbering about 120,000.
We will not take lessons in international law from the country that blatantly violates it
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the rapid increase of overflights and violations by Turkey causes dissatisfaction and concern in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and pointed out that “Greece will, if it has not already done so, protest to the Turkish side, as usual “.
As he characteristically underlined, “there is no difference whether they are done by a manned or unmanned aircraft. The violation is a violation, the overflight is an overflight. And the reaction of Greece is the same in both cases”.
Regarding the Turkish Foreign Minister’s comments on the refugee / immigration, Mr. Papaioannou described the statements as “at least sad”.
“Greece wants good neighborly relations, a constructive dialogue always on the basis of international law. I would say that they are Turkish officials,” he said. .
“Especially with regard to immigration, we will not take lessons from any country, at a time when this country itself is blatantly violating international law,” he stressed, recalling that Turkey has ceased to implement both the bilateral readmission agreement with Greece, as well as and the EU Convention with Turkey.
He noted that “it is at least an oxymoron” a country that pushes refugees to the borders of Greece and has condemned, arrested or is looking for hundreds of journalists, to accuse Greece and called it “better to see her home”.
Referring to the minister’s recent trip to London and Rome, Mr. Papaioannou said that Mr. Dendias had contacts with ambassadors, who are accredited in Greece but are based abroad.
In particular, he saw 35 ambassadors in Rome, 20 from Africa and 8 from Latin America, as well as the ambassadors of Uzbekistan, Oman and Yemen. He informed them about the priorities of Greek foreign policy, about our candidacy for a position of non-permanent member in the UN Security Council.
They talked about the pandemic, about climate change, about the challenges they face. Mr. Papaioannou reminded that Greece has donated about 7 million vaccines to the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa, either bilaterally or through the COVAX mechanism. A common point in the minister’s contacts was the commitment to International Law and the Law of the Sea, said Mr. Dendias and noted that the contacts will continue.
Also in London, Mr. Dendias met with acting Foreign Minister Heaton Harris. This was the Foreign Secretary’s third visit to London, which shows the importance that both we and Great Britain attach to our bilateral relationship.
The bilateral memorandum that was signed was discussed, as well as the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey and the Cyprus issue.
The program of the ministry
Next Tuesday, 15 February, the minister is going to Finland, where he will meet with his counterpart, to discuss the deepening of the EU, as well as the wider developments in Eastern Europe.
On Wednesday, February 16, he will travel to Norway, where he will meet with the Foreign and Finance Ministers and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Norwegian Parliament, and will address a Norwegian think tank.
On Monday, 21 February, he will travel to Brussels for the Council on Foreign Affairs. On Tuesday 22/2 he will go to Paris for the ministerial conference on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, while bilateral contacts of the minister are also planned.
On Wednesday, February 23rd and Thursday, February 24th, he will be in Senegal, where he will inaugurate the Greek embassy there. Senegal took over the presidency of the African Union, as Mr. Papaioannou reminded. He will then travel to the Gambia and Cape Verde as part of strengthening ties with Africa.
As for the program of Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Barvitsiotis, tomorrow Thursday he will accompany the Prime Minister to Zagreb. On Saturday he will speak at an event entitled “Insularity as a priority for the future of Europe” in Kastellorizo, in the context of the Conference on the Future of Europe.
On Thursday, 17 February, he will accompany the Prime Minister to Brussels for the European Union-African Union Summit.
Undersecretary of State Costas Frangogiannis is going to Skopje where tomorrow and the day after tomorrow he will have a series of meetings with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs.
He will also go to Norway where he will have a series of meetings with investment groups, while he will follow the program of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Finally, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs Andreas Katsaniotis is in Lyon for the Council of Foreign and Health Ministers, organized by the French Presidency of the EU Council. On February 16-20, he will travel to Great Britain for Greek events in London and Edinburgh.
The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alexandros Papaioannou, also stated that he assumes the role of coordinator for the reform of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to him, reform initiatives will be taken in seven areas: strategic and operational planning, as the four-year business plan is currently being drafted, the foreign policy planning center upgraded, foreign authorities restructured, human resources and education developed. , extroversion, public diplomacy and services to the citizen.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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