“Despite the difficult geopolitical situation, our government is consistently leading Greece, with no discounts to our sovereignty and rights,” Giorgos Gerapetritis said.
In his speech at the New Democracy pre-conference, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis spoke about the achievements of foreign policy under the governmentKyriakos Mitsotakis.
Among other things, George Gerapetritis stressed: “Greece has grown with the extension of territorial waters in the Ionian Sea“. “Greece made long-range agreements that actually established a good neighbourhood with Egypt and Italy and the great challenges opened before us,” he added.
At the same time, George Gerapetritis said: “We have already managed with Turkey to have a functional relationship without any concessions. We have managed to dramatically reduce violations of national airspace and at the same time we have reduced all migratory flows from the east“. “We have closed the big problem of Libya. When some people said that we were opening the fronts, we made sure that both Libya would not ratify the unsubstantiated Turcolibria Memorandum and on the other hand, today we are starting demarcation talks, which actually create a legacy for our own future,” he stressed.
“Greece is a pioneer in taking a leading role for the future of the Western Balkan states, with Thessaloniki as its headquarters, and we have the Greek Presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2027, which will be the great challenge and the great opportunity for the country,” Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis concluded.
The entire speech of Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis
Dear Mr. President, dear friends, dear friends.
First of all, a big thank you and gratitude to all of you and especially to the young people who are here today, because without their presence we would not have the motivation to work for today and for the future of our country. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
We could not have found a better place and a better time to discuss a strong Greece than today in Thessaloniki. In Thessaloniki because this place historically expresses the responsible patriotism that is the basis of our party, the basis of our ideology. And a better day because 9 May is the day for which New Democracy has worked throughout time. The day of Europe.
Because we should not forget that the fact that today we are at the core of Europe, that we have the perspective, the resilient economy, the strong economy, the strong defence, the very strong foreign policy is due to our European family, which New Democracy has supported over time. Today we are living in difficult geopolitical times, we have wars, asymmetries and a retreat of international law. In such an environment, the only thing that is out of place and not allowed is populism.
And this party and this government are the only ones who can guarantee consistency, dedication, vision and responsibility. And this was the mandate that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave me when he honored me with the portfolio of Foreign Minister three years ago, having already had a very high bar of success in foreign policy since the first term of the government, Greece grew with the extension of the territorial waters in the Ionian Sea. Greece made far-reaching agreements that actually established a good neighbourhood with Egypt and Italy, and the great challenges opened up before us.
On this basis we chose five major axes.
The first axis was to be able to bring peace to our region, to close the holes of the past, and we succeeded in doing that. We have already managed to have a functional relationship with Turkey, without any concessions. We have managed to dramatically reduce violations of national airspace and at the same time we have reduced all migration flows from the east. We have closed the major problem of Libya. When some people said that we were opening the fronts, we made sure that Libya would not ratify the insubstantial Turkish-Libyan memorandum and that today we are starting demarcation talks, which are actually creating a legacy for our own future.
The second pillar was to develop our own positions in the international arena, to bring Greek arguments to the fore and all the calm we have brought to our region has essentially preserved this. Consider that in three years things have been done that were not done in fifty. The maritime spatial planning in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment, which maps out Greater Greece, the outermost limits of our own continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone for the first time as a European text, the marine parks, which guarantee the sovereignty of our country and eliminate untrue narratives. The ability of the defence force structure to be located wherever national duty requires, effectively eliminating any specious arguments for demilitarising islands or other parts of Greece. And of course, the neutralization in practice of whatever demands were shaped by the agreement with American giants for hydrocarbon exploration and extraction south of Crete, where even Libya respected Greek national positions. All this was done in three years and it is an achievement of the Greek government that it dared to bring it about in defiance of any opposition. Because the present government does not understand that national duty can come against any other demand and there is no price we are not willing to pay to bring Greece even further ahead.
The third axis was to maximize our position in international organizations. Greece is currently an elected member of the United Nations Security Council at the most difficult time since World War II. Greece is shaping the global security architecture with the other 14 countries of the Council. This enables us to develop international alliances that we could not do in the past and at the same time, within the European Union, within our European family, we are taking initiatives that have never been undertaken by a Greek government. It was an initiative of the Greek government to have the Recovery Fund, which gave a real boost to social cohesion and competitiveness. It was Greece’s initiative to create the conditions for a European defence, it was Greece that pioneered health rules and certification at the time of Covid, and that enabled us to be even more rigorous and even more effective in these organisations. It was Greece that set and achieved under adverse conditions in European defence that no third country should participate in European defence unless it fully respects the national security of the European Union and of each Member State. No one will be part of national defence and the defence of Europe unless they respect the interests of each Member State. Greece will always be there to observe and safeguard our national interests.
Our fourth pillar has to do with our international alliances. Think about where we are today. In the best position historically, in strategic alliance with the United States, with Israel, with the Gulf countries, with India, with Egypt. All the countries that are currently the historical barometer for the shaping of international relations are in strategic alliance with Greece. This is an object of admiration for most countries of the world, sometimes envy by others. But this is the reality. Today Greece has the strongest alliances it has ever had. Just look at the renewal of the strategic defence agreement with France, the arrival of President Macron, the arrival of the Emir of Qatar. Alliances that guarantee Greece’s position and safeguard our common interests. Really, could anyone have thought before 2019 that Greece would be a security provider for large countries, such as the Gulf countries or Bulgaria.
And I am not talking about Cyprus, our sister Cyprus, which today everyone understands what it means to have a strong Greece for all Hellenism. And it was these international alliances that gave us the opportunity to restart the informal discussions on the Cyprus problem, after a long period of stagnation on the Cyprus problem, and it was the Greek government, in concert with the Republic of Cyprus, that managed to revive the discussions so that we can talk today about a small glimmer of optimism in relation to the resolution of the Cyprus problem, based on the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. And Greece has achieved all this thanks to its consistent foreign policy.
And finally, the fifth pillar, which is the shaping of the country’s soft power. Because alliances, our diplomatic position, our strong defence may be Greece’s great assets now, but there is also a soft power which is the country’s show of strength. Because it is not enough just to be strong. You have to be recognized by everybody as strong. And today everyone does.
Greece ensured under extremely difficult circumstances that all Greeks who were in war zones in recent months returned safely to their homeland.
Greece ensured that those who were detained in the Middle East returned to Greece under extremely difficult conditions.
Greece ensured that in a situation of extremely strong natural disasters with huge fires, 20,000 foreign citizens left and returned to their countries with the huge fire in Rhodes. And they returned, saving the reputation and the image of Greece as a country that can accomplish difficult tasks.
And that is our commitment: that no Greek will ever, anywhere feel alone. Greece is everywhere.
And this soft power is even more evident when the prime minister and his government find themselves claiming major successes. One of these great successes, one that we have won with enormous symbolic and universal content, is the recognition of World Greek Language Day on February 9, which will be celebrated in the World. Because language is our heart.
Dear friends,
It is indeed the most difficult time for international geopolitics. However, this party, this government, has guaranteed that we will tread the difficult paths with consistency, with no discounts to sovereignty, with no discounts to our rights, with strength and persuasion, but with consistency, with vigilance, with responsibility.
And all those who foresaw failures, retreats, collapse, today should admit that Greece is much bigger, much stronger and is able to serve the interests of all Greeks.
And I will close with a simple parable. There are great challenges ahead. We have before us, Mr. President, the most difficult conditions that humanity has known in the last eighty years, amidst wars, amidst the collapse of international multilateralism, but also great challenges that we have in our neighbourhood. Greece is leading the way in taking a leading role for the future of the Western Balkan states, based in Thessaloniki, and we have the Greek Presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2027, which will be the great challenge and the great opportunity for the country.
And I ask: Who is the right person to carry out this project other than Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the government of New Democracy?
I will conclude, dear friends, by saying one thing. That I feel a real honor when I travel abroad or when I meet our fellow citizens who tell me from their hearts one thing and one thing only.
We are proud to be Greeks.
Be well.
