At the meeting between Foreign Minister GGeorge Gerapetritis and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, <\/b>on the sidelines of the Summit<\/b> of the (SEECP), the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lana Zohiou.<\/b><\/p>\n
As she noted, Mr. Gerapetritis emphasized to his Turkish counterpart that \u201cunwarranted tension has arisen\u201d in Greece and Turkey<\/strong>, due to media leaks regarding a pending bill on the Blue Homeland.<\/p>\n \u201cHe reiterated that unilateral actions contrary to international law<\/b> are being taken, on matters for which international law explicitly requires or provides that there must be a bilateral consultation, <\/b>lacking any legal basis whatsoever, <\/b>and therefore do not produce any legal effects,\u201d Ms. Zohiou emphasized.<\/p>\n \u201cRegarding the bill currently in the works\u2014based on leaks<\/b>\u2014I will reiterate that once it is published and we have a complete picture, we will respond accordingly. After all, we are preparing for all possible scenarios and are not complacent,\u201d she emphasized.<\/p>\n During the Gerapetritis-Fidan meeting, topics discussed included, among others, the state of transatlantic relations ahead of the NATO Summit in July, regional developments, with an emphasis on the situation in the broader Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as developments regarding the Cyprus issue. The two ministers also discussed issues of bilateral interest and agreed to keep channels of communication open.<\/p>\n Regarding the report by the European Parliament,<\/b> the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that \u201cit accurately reflects the current situation in Turkey.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n When asked about the issue of the territorial sea,<\/strong> she pointed out that \u201cit concerns Greece exclusively; it is an inalienable right of a sovereign state derived from international law, which Greece has declared that it will exercise at a time and place of its choosing\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Regarding the upcoming NATO summit<\/b>, he noted that no new meeting has been scheduled, as far as the Foreign Minister is concerned, and that there are no official arrangements regarding a visit by a U.S. official to Greece, as she noted in response to related questions.<\/p>\n When asked about a statement by Kaya Kallas <\/b>that they are trying to strike a balance with Turkey, Ms. Zohiou noted that Greece also wants \u201cabsolute stability and calm, but part of that balance must necessarily be that it does not threaten EU member states with war and, as a candidate country, aligns itself with the EU\u2019s foreign policy choices.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u201cBoth the conclusions of the European Council<\/b> and the relevant reports of the European Parliament are absolutely clear and beyond dispute,\u201d she emphasized.<\/p>\n Greece remains ready to contribute constructively to the Cyprus issue<\/p>\n Ms. Zohiou also referred to Mr. Gerapetritis\u2019s meeting with the UN Secretary-General\u2019s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Mar\u00eda \u00c1ngela Olgu\u00edn Cuellar, following her meetings with the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot leader.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Gerapetritis expressed Greece\u2019s support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General to find a comprehensive, fair, and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue, based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation and within the framework of the decisions and resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the European acquis,\u201d he noted. Furthermore, he added, the minister stressed the importance of maintaining the momentum and dynamism that has been built up regarding the Cyprus issue over the past two-plus years.<\/p>\n \u201cGreece, in concert with the Republic of Cyprus, remains ready to contribute constructively to the next steps, with the aim of restarting the talks, based on the agreed framework, under the auspices of the UN,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n He noted that \u201cthe unacceptable demand for a \u2018two-state solution\u2019 does not help efforts to find a viable and fair solution to the Cyprus problem and, of course, will not be accepted for one very simple reason: it falls outside the framework of the United Nations Security Council resolutions, as the UN Secretary-General has, moreover, stated.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding the expanded informal meeting, he noted that relevant announcements will be made by the United Nations.<\/p>\n At the request of Greece and with the support of all elected member states of the UN Security Council<\/b>, an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council will be held today regarding the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian issue, Ms. Zohiou noted.<\/p>\n \u201cIn her statement, Greece\u2019s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Aglaia Balta,<\/b> is expected to reiterate that Greece\u2019s priority remains the alleviation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza through the massive, unimpeded, and unconditional provision of humanitarian aid to civilians in the region,\u201d she emphasized.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is essential to move forward with and fully implementthe second phase of the peace plan<\/b> based on UN Security Council Resolution 2803,\u201d he noted, reiterating Greece\u2019s long-standing position that \u201cpeace in the region is possible only through the revival of a credible political process and the creation of a clear political horizon for the Palestinians, which will lead to the two-state solution, which is supported by the overwhelming majority of the international community that desires a Middle East where its inhabitants can live in peace and dignity.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n \u201cGreece, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council<\/b>, has a duty to raise and bring to the fore issues of concern to the global community, especially when these issues affect its broader neighborhood and regional stability,\u201d he noted, emphasizing that one of Greece\u2019s priorities during its presidency of the Security Council was the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.<\/p>\n \u201cThe humanitarian crisis in Gaza rages on. We consider it imperative to raise issues that we believe deserve the attention of the international community.\u201d<\/p>\n The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S.<\/b> and Iran.\u00a0\u201cWe congratulate all those who contributed to this particularly significant diplomatic development. This is a significant opportunity to restore regional stability and strengthen the global economy,\u201d said Ms. Zohiou. \u201cThe next step is to finalize negotiations on the specific aspects of the agreement and ensure its swift, full, and effective implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe main priority is the unconditional restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, <\/b>as well as the continuation of efforts to consolidate sustainable peace, security, and regional stability.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding the meeting between Mr. Gerapetritis and the deputy commander of the General Command of the Libyan National Army, Saddam Haftar, during his first visit to Athens, Ms. Zohiou noted that \u201cit reaffirms the shared commitment to further strengthening cooperation and channels of communication with Eastern Libya\u201d<\/b>.<\/p>\n The meeting took place in a positive atmosphere<\/b>, and the main topics of discussion were economic cooperation and the promotion of investments in sectors, such as the energy and construction sectors, the direct Benghazi-Athens flight connection, and the mutual desire to upgrade cooperation in the transportation sector.<\/p>\n Regarding irregular migration, \u201cthey agreed to work together with the aim of reducing the flows to Crete and Gavdos<\/b>,\u201d he noted, adding that they discussed the importance of continuing training programs for Libyan Coast Guard personnel in Greece.<\/p>\n \u201cGreece\u2019s role as a reliable partner in the EU and the UN Security Council was highlighted. The Foreign Minister reiterated Greece\u2019s position in favor of a political solution to the Libyan crisis, without third-party intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding maritime zones, Mr. Gerapetritis emphasized that \u201cGreece\u2019s priority remains the delimitation of an exclusive economic zone with Libya<\/strong>, as a genuine neighboring country with a shared coastline, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.\u201d<\/p>\n Furthermore, the Greek delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou<\/b>, traveled to Tripoli for the second round of technical talks on EEZ delimitation. The talks were constructive, and the next round will take place in Athens; she added that they are likely to be held in the near future.<\/p>\n \u201cThe two sides reiterated their commitment to continuing constructive dialogue on the basis of international law, as well as to further promote bilateral cooperation across a wide range of issues of mutual interest,\u201d she noted. Ms. Papadopoulou also met with the acting Foreign Minister and held a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the Secretary-General of the General Administration of the Libyan National Army, General Al-Tamini.<\/b><\/p>\n Greece\u2019s position \u201cwas expressed in all meetings regarding the illegal, baseless, and invalid 2019 Turkish-Libyan memorandum, which violates international law and, as a result, produces absolutely no legal effect.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe technical talks with Libya are taking place in Tripoli. These talks, in both the first and second rounds, had the same composition. However, during the Foreign Minister\u2019s and the Deputy Foreign Minister\u2019s meetings with officials from the Benghazi side, the latter were briefed on the developments,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n He also referred to the recent visit by Mr. Gerapetritis to Serbia, <\/b>noting that tomorrow the Foreign Minister will travel to Montenegro <\/b>and to Bosnia and Herzegovina.<\/b><\/p>\n The purpose of the Foreign Minister\u2019s visits is \u201cto reaffirm Greece\u2019s strong political commitment to the Western Balkans\u2019 accession process and to underscore the steadfast dedication of Greek foreign policy to this goal, especially in light of Greece\u2019s assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2027.\u201d Furthermore, \u201cthe goal is for Greece to actively support the European perspective of the Western Balkans by providing expertise to strengthen the reform efforts of its partners in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding the meeting between Mr. Gerapetritis and Theophilos, Patriarch of Jerusalem, <\/b>the Foreign Minister expressed Greece\u2019s commitment \u201cto continue providing its support to the Patriarchate and to work toward the protection of Christian populations in Jerusalem and the Middle East, as well as the cultural heritage of the Holy Land.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe underscored the importance of preserving the Status Quo of Jerusalem<\/b>, emphasizing that this must be fully respected by all and under any circumstances\u201d and \u201che also stressed the need for cooperation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, as well as among the Ancient Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, which jointly bear the responsibility of safeguarding unity and protecting Orthodox Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n During the visit, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the Patriarchate of Jerusalem regarding cooperation in the protection and preservation of the Patriarchate\u2019s tangible cultural heritage.<\/p>\n Reference was also made to the establishment of the position of permanent deputy minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs<\/strong> and the appointment to that position of Ambassador Alexandra Papadopoulou, a figure of recognized standing with many years of experience and deep knowledge of foreign policy issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThis is a long-standing and enduring demand of the diplomatic corps, <\/b>which ensures institutional continuity and strengthens the prestige of the Diplomatic Service,\u201d she noted, adding that the Union of Diplomatic Employees, had welcomed this legislative initiative by the political leadership to promote this particularly substantive institutional regulation in an official statement.<\/p>\n Finally, regarding the entry-exit system<\/b> established by a European Union Regulation, Ms. Zohiou noted that \u201cits implementation is mandatory for Member States participating in the Schengen Area, and \u2018there is no room for deviation from the basic principles of the European Regulation.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt does indeed involve the collection of biometric data,<\/b> which, as we can clearly see, causes some delays in passport control, especially during periods of increased tourist traffic. The Greek authorities, taking into account the importance of maintaining and strengthening the flow of tourists to the country, will take the necessary measures, always making full use of the possibilities provided by EU legislation, but of course always in compliance with the European Regulation in question.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the meeting between Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, on the sidelines of the Summit of the (SEECP),…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What was discussed at the Gerapetritis – Fidan<\/h3>\n
European Parliament Report<\/h3>\n
NATO Summit<\/h3>\n
UN Security Council Emergency Meeting on Gaza<\/h3>\n
The main concern is the unconditional restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz<\/h3>\n
Greece\u2019s Priority: Delineating the EEZ with Libya<\/h3>\n
Strong political commitment to the Western Balkans\u2019 accession process<\/h3>\n
Meeting with the Patriarch of Jerusalem<\/h3>\n
Establishment of the Position of Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs<\/h3>\n