Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis’ speech at the Plenary Session of the Parliament – main points (02.12.2021)

“Our country has proceeded with the recognition of vaccination certificates, whether they come from Russia or China”, said Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, speaking today in the Plenary Session of the Parliament.

In particular, Mr. Varvitsiotis – who returned early in the morning from Moscow, which he had visited for the Signing of the Cooperation Protocol of the 13th Greek-Russian JIC – explained that while the Russian vaccination certificates are recognized in Greece and any Russian visitor can go in a restaurant, a cinema or a theater, this is not the case for a Greek visitor to the Russian Federation, which does not recognize European Union vaccination certificates. As a result, Greek visitors are forced to receive a daily PCR test with 24-hour validity. He added that Greece recognizes the vaccinations that have been given in Serbia, in contrast to other EU countries. “We insist on this opening, because we believe that the main goal should be global vaccination and global cooperation in tackling the virus”, he pointedly said.

The Alternate Minister placed special emphasis on the ratification of the draft law on the ‘Establishment of diplomatic relations between the Hellenic Republic and the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta’, which was voted in Parliament.

The ratification of the Agreement for the Recognition of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta coincides with the official visit of Pope Francis, which – as he said – is “an important opportunity to highlight the Christian ties that bind us and to deepen the awareness that here in Greece we defend Christian values and we defend them within the framework of International Law and respect for human rights, in contrast to neighbouring countries that often exploit even weak people, such as refugees and immigrants, for political purposes”.

In the context of the debate on the other Agreements, Mr. Varvitsiotis, speaking about the ratification of the “Agreement on the Participation of the Republic of Croatia in the European Economic Area”, stressed that EU enlargement in the Balkans constitutes a national strategy.

Referring to the Economic Cooperation Agreement with Indonesia, the Alternate Minister noted that it is an effort to develop our bilateral economic relations with a significant economic power, so that Greece does not need to only move within the framework of the European Union in order to resolve bilateral differences.

Referring to the ratification of the Agreement on the establishment of the EU-Latin America-Caribbean Foundation, Mr. Varvitsiotis pointed out that this is an institution which aims to deepen cultural relations between two regions of the world, the EU and Latin America / Caribbean, which also have many cultural ties.

Finally, on the issue of ratification of “Annex XV of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies, regarding World Intellectual Property Organization”, the Alternate Minister stressed that intellectual property rights are among the main rights that are being violated and abused nowadays, therefore the strengthening of the mode of operation of the international organization operating under the auspices of the UN “I believe can only find us in agreement”.