“The peoples of Finland and Sweden demonstrate their determination to safeguard their national independence and integrity with all their might. The same applies to the Greeks, who are ready to defend their country against any imposition and threat, united and not divided”, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis emphasized during his speech today at the plenary session of the Hellenic Parliament on the ratification of the Protocols of Sweden’s and Finland’s Accession to NATO.
Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that in the new context of multi-level threats, that are not limited to military operations but turn into threats to energy sufficiency and to the supply of food and other products essential for stability in Europe and throughout the world, our country could not find itself on the wrong side of history and emphasized the significance of Greece ratifying the protocols of Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO with a large parliamentary majority. At the same time, the Alternate Minister noted that the Finns’ and Swedes’ political decision, with overwhelming majorities in their parliaments and in public opinion, to abandon a decades-old policy and join the Alliance for their own security, constitutes the best answer to the question of whether NATO is critical and useful today, as it is the only security system in Europe whose importance has been enhanced following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the disruption of the post-war security system.
The Alternate Minister pointed out that Mariupol and the 200,000 Ukrainian citizens of Greek origin were among the main targets of the Russian invasion, with thousands of them losing their lives in squalid conditions following the Russian shelling and mourning the loss of a national cradle in the region. “Today we can only say that stability in the region, respect for borders, and especially respect for civilian lives is something that must be preserved”, he pointedly said.
Mr. Varvitsiotis also stated that, while the Greek people sometimes feel that NATO has not always been on the same page with us when it comes to the Turkish threat, the fact is that we feel far more secure within the Alliance, with the participation of the USA, than outside this “umbrella of protection”. At the same time, the Alternate Minister underscored that we are trying to reduce Turkish aggression within the Alliance as well, citing the strong-worded demarches made by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself to NATO Secretary General.