Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvistiotis’ interview with “ELEFTHEROS TYPOS” and journalist Apostolos Chondropoulos (23.10.2022)

Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs. Miltiadis Varvitsiotis describes the European Council’s decisions on energy as “a huge step for the European Union”, in an interview with “Elleftheros Typos tis Kyriakis” and journalist Apostolos Chondropoulos, underlining the essential role of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in shaping European policy.

Mr. Varvitsiotis also referres to Greece’s strategic alliances against revisionism and the country’s readiness to defend its territorial integrity, if necessary. He condemns Turkey’s instrumentalization of the migration issue as well as the continuation of its aggressive rhetoric against Greece, calling Turkey to “change course”. Moreover, the Alternate Minister describes the Turkish-Libyan “memorandum” as “a fabrication of Ankara without legal basis, which is already on the back burner of diplomacy. He stresses that Greece shields its borders, respecting human rights. Furthermore, he expresses our country’s readiness to contribute to the reconstruction of Ukraine in cooperation with other European countries. “We have made a concerted national effort, we have changed our image in the EU and around the world”, emphasizes the Alternate Minister adding that “clear majority in the elections and stability are the weapons needed to complete a dynamic course that will lay the solid foundations for a new and strong Greece”.

The full interview is as follows:

QUESTION: Minister, do you believe that the European Council took, albeit belatedly, a substantial step towards European solidarity in addressing the energy crisis?

M. VARVITSIOTIS: The European Council’s decisions on energy constitute a huge step for the European Union. It is a strong European political response to the games of the markets. They provide us with weapons to tackle the crisis and create a necessary safety net for consumers. There were, indeed, delays and perpetual discussions. However, the European leaders came to this debate with a spirit of understanding and succeeded in finding common ground through concessions and compromises. What is very important for Greece is that many of the measures that are now being adopted as European policy were first proposed by Kyriakos Mitsotakis in March. I am very proud to be part of this negotiating team, which succeeded in making Greece’s proposals part of the overall European policy, as was the case with the Recovery Fund.

QUESTION: What do you attribute the recent escalation in Turkish provocative conduct to and what is our country’s strategy for addressing it? How realistic do you believe a de-escalation of tensions is in this environment?

M. VARVITSIOTIS: Mr. Erdogan must finally understand that it is not in Turkey’s interest to continue its aggressive rhetoric and provocative conduct against a neighbour and a NATO ally. He has to change course. The fanaticism that he deliberately cultivates within his country for electoral reasons leads to tension and not to de-escalation. At least now, he should listen to the majority of Turkish public opinion, which are telling him clearly that they do not want a conflict.

We, on our part, are pursuing good neighbourly relations, we want the dialogue to be continued, but this depends on Turkey’s conduct. We keep our EU partners and our allies constantly informed and we are fully prepared to defend our national rights and our territorial integrity if necessary.  Revisionism has no place in Europe of 21st-century.

QUESTION: What is our country’s response to the effort to activate the invalid Turkish-Libyan “memorandum”, but also to the ongoing instrumentalization of the migration issue by the neighboring country?

M. VARVITSIOTIS: It is a shameful fabrication by Ankara, which violates every concept of International Law; it has no legal basis and has already been placed on the back burner of diplomacy. Greece, of course, is not sitting on its hands. It is defending its interests and has already concluded strategic agreements with key countries such as Egypt and Israel. And this obviously irritates the other side.

As far as migration is concerned, Turkey is instrumentalizing the anguish and suffering of defenseless people, women and young children, to harm Greece. It is attempting to target us by spreading fake news. However, reality itself contradicts them. We are a modern European country that respects human rights and saves lives. This was evident both in the recent incident in Kythera and in the one in Evros. At the same time, we are pursuing a modern migration policy and we are shielding our borders, which, I remind you, are also EU borders. We are not a sitting duck!

QUESTION: What do you think of the latest developments in the war in Ukraine? What does Mr. Dendias’ visit to Kyiv mean and what possibilities can there be, under these circumstances, for ending the war and planning for the next day?

M. VARVITSIOTIS: From the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we took a clear position. We condemned the unprovoked invasion of an independent European country and stood by the defenders. We have been following the latest developments and the escalation of Russian attacks, which is a cause for concern and vigilance.

At this juncture, the challenge is to respond as a united Europe, not only with sanctions against Russia, but also with tangible hope for the Ukrainians. We have already decided to work in this direction together with other countries, such as Bulgaria and Romania, by contributing as much as possible to Ukraine’s reconstruction.

QUESTION: Why does Nea Dimokratia link the need for stability with the prospect of gaining the clear majority in the 2023 elections?

M. VARVITSIOTIS: In the last three and a half years or so, our country has made significant strides forward. The Greece of today under Kyriakos Mitsotakis is not the Greece of 2019. We have made a concerted national effort, we have changed our image in the EU and around the world, we have developed an outward-looking foreign policy, we have put the Greek economy on a new track, we have paved the way for investment and new jobs, we have made digital transformation a reality. We have achieved a lot, but more needs to be done, especially for our fellow citizens who are most in need in this difficult winter.

Gaining the clear majority and stability are the weapons needed to complete a dynamic course that will lay the solid foundations for a new and strong Greece for future generations.