Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis meets with the UK Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Europe Leo Docherty – Statements to the Press (Athens, 06.12.2022)

“We have no aggressive intentions towards Turkey, but we will not accept its aggressive intentions towards our country either. We are determined to defend our national integrity and, of course, our national rights in every way possible, emphasized Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis in joint statements with British Undersecretary of State for Europe, Leo Docherty following their talks, which confirmed the excellent level of bilateral relations.

In particular, Mr. Varvitsiotis stated that Greece condemns Turkish aggression unequivocally and at every opportunity, as “expressed by a series of provocative and untruthful statements”, and that it also calls on its friends and partners to take a stand at every opportunity. “Turkey’s revisionism challenges defined borders and International Law, which should be the only principle governing our relations. Turkey should realize that the only way to play a credible role in the international community is by respecting the rules of International Law”, the Alternate Minister commented. In fact, referring to the highly unstable current environment, he noted that the joint response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine on the part of the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Greece demonstrates that revisionism cannot take root in international relations.

Furthermore, referring to the bilateral relations between Greece and the UK, Mr. Varvitsiotis announced that together with the British Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Europe completed the first Review of the Bilateral Strategic Framework of the two countries today. “We highlighted the areas where progress has been made and those where we still need to work so that our relations get even better than when we were partners in the European Union,” he said. He also stated that contacts between the two countries are already at the highest possible level, as the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to London a few days ago proves, and recalled that our countries have been traditional friends and reliable allies, sharing 200 years of historical ties.

Lastly, talks focused on the European perspective of the Balkans, developments in Libya, and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, with Mr. Varvitsiotis noting that “Greece plays a particularly important role in energy security issues, by participating in trilateral and multilateral formats with countries in the region”.