Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis’ speech at a working meeting with Heads of Missions of the EU Member States -main points (Athens, 14.02.2023)
Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis briefed today the Heads of Missions of the European Union member states on Greece’s positions on all major European issues at a working meeting organized by the Swedish Embassy in the context of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The Alternate Minister underscored that in the face of the enormous humanitarian and economic disaster that Türkiye is experiencing following the recent devastating earthquake, Greece stands in solidarity with the Turkish people and will make every effort, in collaboration with other countries, to assist them in returning to normalcy. “What the Greek government is doing reflects what the Greek people feel. It is time to set our differences aside”, he underlined.
Mr. Varvitsiotis also informed the European Heads of Missions that during the last European Council, the EU leaders emphasized the migration-refugee issue and border protection in particular, the importance of which Greece had highlighted in good time. “We need to distinguish between legal and illegal migration. With the agreement on the 5,000 Egyptian farm workers that I had the honor to sign, Greece paved the way for agreements with third countries and for the fight against the networks of traffickers”, the Alternate Minister noted, adding that it was unacceptable to “punish” certain countries based on their geographical location, but that an effective mechanism for the return and relocation of those entering the EU was vital.
As regards the war in Ukraine, the Alternate Minister stated that Greece is actively supporting the country and would stand in solidarity in its reconstruction efforts while concerning the EU enlargement process in the Western Balkans, he said that we cannot allow the revival of nationalist aspirations. “We must move forward by ensuring that Europe does not become a Tower of Babel”, he remarked.
Lastly, Mr. Varvitsiotis emphasized the importance of Europe strengthening its economy’s competitiveness in a challenging international environment. “For the first time in decades, Greece’s growth rate is higher than the European average and the Greek government has achieved this by attracting significant investment”, the Alternate Minister concluded.