Category: Government

“I met this morning in Jerusalem with the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos to express in the clearest terms the interest of the Greek government and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, one of the holiest foundations of Christianity.

Immediately afterwards I met with my Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi, then I went to Ramallah where I met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and then I briefed the Council of Ministers of the European Union on these contacts via videoconference. Soon I am leaving for Amman to meet with my Jordanian counterpart, Mr. Safadi.

I made it clear that an immediate ceasefire is needed, as well as the protection of human rights and the safeguarding of human lives. I condemned in the clearest way the firing of thousands of rockets by Hamas against Israel. It is an action absolutely and totally condemnable. I also said that Israel, like any country in the world, has the right to self-defence. In addition, I said that an initiative should be taken for the Middle East issue. This vacuum, meaning the lack of initiatives, creates issues that confront us, human tragedies.  The solution we have to come up with is clear. It is the solution provided for by international law and the resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations: two states on the 1967 border with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.”

Journalist: Minister, after the contacts you had here, what is your assessment of the current situation in Gaza?

N. Dendias: I think the humanitarian situation in Gaza is absolutely problematic and we need to do everything we can to help. However, I have to repeat that Hamas is absolutely condemnable for firing thousands of rockets at civilians.

Journalist: Minister, what is your assessment of the role of Turkey, which acts as if it is striking a match in a powder keg?

N. Dendias: What I have to say is that inflammatory statements and unilateral positions in a particularly fragile situation, in a particularly sensitive region do not help.

Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis referred to the importance of the EU’s Strategic Autonomy and its role in the field of defence and international security, during the informal EU General Affairs Council held in Coimbra, Portugal.

In particular, Mr. Varvitsiotis stressed that it is very important to realise that we live in a rapidly changing world and that nothing is a given anymore. He noted that the most striking example of this rapid change is the pandemic crisis, and the same applies for international security issues. He added that the European Union has an important role to play in addressing these issues, enhancing its influence in the international system to address the security deficits caused by international crises. The Alternate Minister also commented that efforts should be undertaken to achieve convergence of Member States’ views on the geopolitical, green and digital dimension of resilience, given the different approaches available. At the same time, he stressed the special importance of cooperation in the field of Defence, which, as he said, should be upgraded without overlaps and have the necessary additional resources, so that Europe can play the role agreed by the Member States.

In parallel, the Alternate Minister participated in a High-Level Conference on the Rule of Law in Europe, organized under the Portuguese Presidency.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias participated today, Monday, 17 May in the videoconference organized by the Foreign Policy and United Nations Association of Austria, chaired by the former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, who introduced the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Minister’s online intervention was on “Actual Challenges for the Greek Foreign Policy”.

Read the full text of the Minister’s speech here.

Following the previous announcement, it is noted that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, will meet tomorrow with the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Ibrahim Shtayyeh and not with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Riad Al-Maliki due to an extraordinary change in the latter’s schedule.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, is travelling to Israel and the Palestinian Territories tomorrow, Tuesday 18 May. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will have meetings with His Holiness the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, with his Israeli counterpart Gabi Ashkenazi and with his Palestinian counterpart Riad Al-Maliki.

Also, tomorrow Mr. Dendias will participate in the extraordinary videoconference of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union, convened by the HR/VP Josep Borrell, on the developments in the region.

On the same day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will travel to Jordan, where he will meet with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi.

Finally, Mr. Dendias will travel to Cairo on Thursday 20 May, where he will meet with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.

Earlier today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in view of his forthcoming visits.