Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis’ interview with “Parapolitika 90.1” radio station and journalists Thanasis Fouskidis and Stella Gantona-highlights (Athens, 7.12.2022)  

“Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama realized his mistake in claiming that Greece joined the Eurozone by not respecting the rules of the European system and he took it back; he totally backtracked, and eventually he even congratulated Kyriakos Mitsotakis as the best Greek Prime Minister he has ever known”, stated Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, in an interview today with “Parapolitika 90.1” radio station and journalists Thanasis Fouskidis and Stella Gantona.

Mr. Varvitsiotis also said that Albania needs to do more work on the issue of the EEZ, noting that the Prime Minister had sent the proper message for the second time in roughly two months, following his meeting with Mr. Rama in Prague on the sidelines of the European Political Community. Referring to the issue of the Greek minority in Albania, the Alternate Minister pointed out that the protection of its property and rights is not just an element of the Greek-Albanian dialogue, but is also included in the negotiation framework for Albania’s EU accession process. “We have set very tough conditions and Albania will be assessed by the European Commission’s annual reports on whether it is keeping up with its commitments”, he pointedly said.

When asked about Greek-Turkish relations, Mr. Varvitsiotis emphasized, echoing the atmosphere from his meeting yesterday with British Undersecretary of State for Europe, Leo Docherty, that Turkish arguments on the sovereignty of the Aegean islands do not find sympathetic ears. “Turkish claims not only lack any legal basis but also contradict the widely accepted principle that there is no place for any revisionism in modern times.”