Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ statement to Greek journalists during the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs (Riga, 01.12.2021)

Today a very interesting meeting took place here in Riga, in the framework of the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs. The issue of the Western Balkans was discussed and I had the opportunity to outline the positions of the Greek Government, the Mitsotakis government, on the need to stabilize the situation in the Western Balkans, as well as to explain the challenges the region faces and the opportunities opening up by their European course.

Furthermore, I had bilateral meetings with the newly appointed Foreign Ministers of the Netherlands and Norway. There is much common ground, including issues of the Law of the Sea that can and should be discussed.

Under the chairmanship of the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, a meeting on sub-Saharan Africa, the Sahel region, is to be convened shortly, where countries, including Greece, with a diplomatic, I repeat, a diplomatic presence in sub-Saharan Africa have been invited to participate. As you know, the Mitsotakis government recently opened a new Greek Embassy in Senegal.

In this context, we will discuss the security challenges that sub-Saharan Africa poses to Europe and how we will be able to tackle the many problems, primarily humanitarian ones, but also problems of terrorism and migration, which arise from this region.