Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ speech at the opening of the exhibition “Gifts of Diplomacy, Greek foreign policy in the 21st century through objects of political symbolism”, at Zappeion Megaron (01.02.2023)

Mr. President,
Ministers,
Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to welcome you to the exhibition “Gifts of Diplomacy, Foreign Policy in the 21st Century through Objects of Political Symbolism”.

This is a first attempt to revive moments of diplomacy of the last 20 years and more.  It includes objects that were kept in the warehouses of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or were offered by Foreign Ministers – the Foreign Ministers of the 21st century- and I would like to thank them warmly for this.

Ladies and gentlemen, in today’s era of evolution, technology, social media, and density of events on the international stage, diplomatic time is condensed. Events, meetings, consultations, and even negotiations occur at breakneck speed. Capturing them is difficult as one event is almost immediately overtaken by the next one.
There are, however, moments that do linger, as long as they are reported and displayed.

The gifts of diplomacy thus, with their symbolic value, remind us of precisely these moments. Indeed, at a time when our country was called upon to face serious challenges. Difficult relations with Turkey, but also attempts at dialogue, the economic crisis, the pandemic, and the attempts to diplomatically shield the country through the creation of alliances. Efforts to resolve long-pending issues, but also events that traumatize the peaceful coexistence of states, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The exhibition follows and captures these images.

Photographic material and some gifts from Turkish officials highlight not just the efforts that have been made over the years for dialogue between the countries, but also Greece’s long-standing, if I may say so, commitment to this dialogue.

Furthermore, the development of strategic relations and alliances with countries not just in our region, but also in the Arab world, can be seen through the material being presented today. The deepening of relations with Egypt, as well as with India.

The exhibition also displays Greece’s consistent presence in international organizations, with the notably successful EU presidencies in 2003 and 2014, as well as many other actions, including the OSCE Chairmanship in 2009.

I would like to draw your attention to our openings beyond the known horizon, particularly in Africa and Asia. The symbolic object from Gabon demonstrates the relations recently built with a country that was not on Greece’s diplomatic map, a French-speaking African country that is also a member of the Security Council, and an environmental model.

And allow me to mention another gift from another African country, Ghana. It’s a drawing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -top right as you see it, left as I see it-, created by the children of the St. Nicholas School in Ghana.

But I also want to bring up the atrocities of the war in Ukraine. Our country has adopted a clear stance on this war. Our exhibit from my most recent visit to Kyiv has something unique, in my opinion. It is a fragment of an Iranian drone that hit the city at the time I was there and, as a reminder of our time together in the bunker, it was offered to me by my Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba. This object demonstrates the absurdity of war, but it also reminds us of our stance on issues of principle and international legal order.

Some objects will also serve as a reminder of Greece’s inextricable ties with the Republic of Cyprus. And I’d like to reiterate that for Greece “Cyprus does not lie far away”. Under democratic governments, Cyprus has never been far away. In fact, I’d like to make amends for an injustice. Because this phrase, namely “Cyprus lies far away”, was never uttered by Konstantinos Karamanlis, as some nostalgic junta enthusiasts have sought to attribute to him.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a fact that the country’s foreign policy is inextricably related to its national interests. However, in a wider sense, national interest also includes the values that a state defends. It expresses its needs and ambitions. It reflects the perceptions and beliefs of both society and its political leadership.

Greek foreign policy has secured a very important acquis in the post-junta period, namely the historic decisions on the country’s Western and European orientation, taken after 1974. They have remained in effect for half a century now, regardless of the change in power between parties with different ideological backgrounds.

I’d say that maintaining these realistic parameters is, in my opinion, fundamental to our foreign policy, but it is not sufficient. It requires adaptation to ever-changing circumstances; it requires national unanimity.

I will start, therefore, with the necessity of maintaining the major acquis of national understanding. Concord is an indispensable component of our national survival.

The mobilization of Greek society within these parameters is critical to our national survival as we do not have the luxury of other European countries. We are facing a national security issue, emanating, in fact, from a NATO ally. We, therefore, do not have the luxury of division.

And we must not forget that last year marked the centenary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, an eternal reminder that demonstrates where discord leads, where the inability to come to an understanding on the basis of realism leads.

It is also an essential parameter not to accept any attempt to monopolize patriotism. As a society, we ought to ignore every cry of jingoism and every national-populist outburst of insolence. Please recall the jingoists of the Golden Dawn, the neo-Nazis who invoked national symbols along with swastikas.

So, on behalf of the Mitsotakis government, let me state that I am proud of the significant strengthening of the established national consensus over the last 3.5 years. And I express my gratitude to the representatives of the opposition parties and the former Foreign Ministers for this.

Of course, it is a long-standing obligation of the government to inform and consult with the other parties on foreign policy issues. It is also an obligation of opposition parties to communicate with and advise the government of the day on national issues.

There are different approaches, there will always be disagreements. However, this does not allow for the breaking of the united front on the main, the fundamental lines of the foreign policy of a country like Greece.

And, once again, no one has the right to think of oneself as more patriotic than others.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

International developments over the last three years have demonstrated that many previously accepted truths have ceased to stand. The international environment is constantly changing. As a result, adapting to new circumstances is critical. The need to reposition ourselves in the face of new challenges is also imperative.

What are the obvious preconditions?  To view with pragmatism the passing of the era of dogmas, stereotypes, of the old Cold War years, and of the two camps, and to break old habits of mind. We must abandon the perception of space and time created by globalization through its ideology of the end of history.

To overcome the syndrome of a phobic, enclosed Greece, entrenched in the southern borders of the Balkan peninsula.

To adapt to the challenges of the times, to implement a strategy that exudes confidence and certainty, with targeted actions, rather than clichéd expressions.  And that does not mean reflection, it simply means adaptation.  By participating in a united Europe, in the eurozone, in NATO.

With an unwavering commitment to the application of International Law and the International Law of the Sea. But at the same time, with active participation in planning regional initiatives for peace and stability, with an enhanced geopolitical role in the Eastern Mediterranean, with a soft power projection in the Western Balkans and beyond, with active participation in international organizations and international fora.

By expanding relations with countries from every continent. But with countries that share the same perceptions, the same values, and the same principles. By broadening the scope of what we perceive as diplomacy: economic diplomacy, religious diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, sports diplomacy, and environmental diplomacy.

The latter presents us with huge opportunities, such as the organization, in coordination with the United States, of the “Our Ocean Conference” in 2024, the largest environmental international meeting that Greece will ever host.

We should establish conditions that make us stronger diplomatically, militarily, economically, and culturally, as well as ones that make our country welcoming and hospitable, not only to tourists but also to young people and new ideas, tolerant, while yet wide open to innovation, outward-looking, modern and always updated.

Therefore, let us build solid foundations for its constant upgrading, so as to make our country what we feel it to be: a proud European country, with a glorious heritage, a glorious past, and most importantly, with a glorious future. Let me say a shining Greece.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today’s exhibition captures, in a way that may not be entirely obvious, some of these features that I have mentioned. For this reason, as Ambassador Balta said earlier, we thought that the exhibition should be permanently relocated to the reception area of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on Akadimias St, and constantly be enriched with objects relating to the future and perhaps with some that we discover from the past, so that we present it to our foreign guests and to the public who would wish to visit it.

I would like once again to thank you very much for your presence here today. Thank you very much.