Greece is a friendly and partner country, Johan Vandefoule, in joint statements with his Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis.
The German foreign minister stressed that his country wants to deepen its relationship with Greece. “We want to update our agenda, but we have a partnership for strategic cooperation, which we sealed today, and I think it was time to do so,” he said.
He said that in recent months “we have seen it more and more clearly that the rules-based international order is coming under pressure,” he said trade routes, as well as the Hormuz Strait are being used as a means of pressure, “and as the European Union we are resolutely opposing this trend”.
He noted that the EU is showing the world that clear rules, freedom, the rule of law and open dialogue are not a sign of weakness, adding that it is “an incredible example, an story of success, freedom and prosperity – and it is more attractive than ever.”
He noted that “that is precisely why it is now in the crosshairs of those who see freedom as a threat to the consolidation of their own power”, adding: “So Vladimir Putin is projecting the European Union as an enemy, through disinformation, through division, and is trying in every way to deprive Ukraine, Moldova and the countries of the Western Balkans of their European perspective.
He explained the strategic geopolitical position of our country and said that in this strategically important region, the external border and the Southeastern wing of NATO in the Mediterranean, “we want to strengthen our cooperation so that there is reliable deterrence, and we want to move towards strengthening NATO’s European pillar in terms of equipment, capability and joint planning.”
Addressing Mr. Gerapetritis, he assured that Greece, during the exercise of the European Presidency next year, can count on Germany, and on its support for the promotion of the Salonica 2003 agenda, to promote the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU.
He called for a renewal of the decision-making process in the European Union “to avoid permanent obstacles and blockages by individual actors and to prove to the world its capacity to act” and praised the government’s reforms which, he said, “showed what it means to have courage”.
“Your economic growth is impressive and you are a dynamic market. We have partnerships in the telecommunications and energy sectors, among others, and there is still a lot of potential. For example, Germany, for the first time, will have its own pavilion at the “Poseidonia” exhibition in June, a very important event for the maritime economy,” the German Foreign Minister said, adding: “Today I will also have the opportunity to visit the Skaramanga shipyards, which are very important for both merchant shipping and the defence industry. So here, Germany would like to significantly expand our defence cooperation. We want, with a maritime nation like Greece, to intensify our cooperation.”
He advocated taking initiatives to protect common interests threatened by actions such as the blockade of the Straits of Hormuz, which demonstrate how vulnerable supply chains are, “so it is important that we take joint responsibility to protect our interests. There is no basis for excluding these Straits; they should be released, they should be freed, and I think it is now time to accept the negotiated offer that has been made.”
He also said that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, after the new government came to power in Berlin, was the first head of state to visit the Chancellor, “and I think this underlines the importance of Greece. We are building on the strong partnership between us and we want to expand it at all levels.”
Referring to the U.S. decision to withdraw troops from Germany, Mr. Vandefoule said that “we should not overestimate perhaps some individual moves”, that “as NATO we have what we need, a conventional deep strike capability in Europe” and added that “close talks are needed with the United States to see what the decision has been made and how we will respond.”
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