Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ statement to journalists following his visit to Ghana (Accra, 12.01.2023)

The day today began in a highly emotional way, with my visit to the Greek school  St. Nicholas. Then I had my bilateral meeting with my counterpart, the Foreign Minister of Ghana.

Ghana, as is known, is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2022 – 23. There were very many issues that we discussed. One of them was the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Security Council’s obligations.

Ghana, in general, is a natural partner of Greece. It is a country that has signed the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, and it is a member of the Group of Friends of UNCLOS. It is a country that displays stability and commitment to International Law in West Africa. A country that believes in defending the territorial integrity and independence of all states.
I also had the opportunity to promote Greek investment in Ghana. West Africa is a “window” of entry to the fastest-growing economy in the world, to a region with the highest population growth.

JOURNALIST: Minister, two days ago the Tripoli Court of Appeal issued a ruling suspending the implementation of the second Turkish-Libyan “memorandum”, even adopting the arguments of Greece, Egypt, and the EU. According to a Turkish Foreign Minister’s statement, however, Mr. Dbeibah seems to be reassuring Mr. Çavuşoğlu, that there is no problem and that the “memorandum” will be implemented. What is your comment on that?

N. DENDIAS: First of all, I would be very cautious about what information comes from the Turkish side. But aside from that, a general statement would be that a transitional government, I think, cannot comment on rulings taken by the judiciary. This applies, at the very least, in all advanced countries; particularly in a case that is being ruled by a Supreme Court.