Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ statements to Greek journalists following his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, Wopke Hoekstra (The Hague, 19.05.2022)

First of all, I had a very interesting meeting today with my Dutch counterpart, and – dare I say – a friend of Greece, Wopke Hoekstra.

We discussed, of course, the issues concerning Ukraine following the Russian invasion, the European response, but also the issues regarding the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya; and a number of issues related to our bilateral relations and how we could develop them further.

I also had the opportunity to brief him on Prime Minister’s K. Mitsotakis extremely successful visit to the United States.

Furthermore, I will have the opportunity to visit the International Court of Justice in The Hague, for the first time since 2004 when P. Molyviatis visited it, but also the International Criminal Court, to which Greece has submitted, together with all the other European countries, the well-known letter regarding the war crimes in Ukraine. Greece has stated its special interest in the issue of Mariupol.

In general, I look forward to a continuous improvement in Greek-Dutch relations. The Netherlands is an important country with significant GDP and a country which, following Brexit, is going to have a greater influence on both security and economic issues within our European family.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague has always been particularly important for Greece. Greece has always deemed that it is the appropriate venue and way, if you will, to resolve differences between states. And of course it is important that the Court had been visited by the then President of the Hellenic Republic P. Pavlopoulos. I think that this fact, together with my visit today, demonstrate Greece’s long-standing interest in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.