2024-07-14 17:18:12
The Greek prime minister in the discussion with Daniel Speckhart, former US ambassador in Athens, noted that the neighboring country “is a member of NATO today because Greece lifted its veto”. What did he say about Cyprus and Turkey?
In a discussion in Washington with the former US ambassador to Athens, Daniel Speckhart, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized that the use of the constitutional name of North Macedonia, erga omnes, is “fundamental”, based on the Prespa agreement, as well as “non negotiable”.
The prime minister said that the problem with the Balkans is that very often the specter of nationalism rises when no one expects it. Citing North Macedonia as an example, the Greek prime minister noted that the neighboring country “is a member of NATO today because Greece lifted its veto after the Prespa Agreement signed and ratified by the previous government.”
“We have made it clear that this is an international agreement that obliges the country. We respected that and I respect that. One of the fundamental, if not the most fundamental, aspects of this agreement had to do with the name North Macedonia being used erga omnes. And this is something that is very clear and non-negotiable for Greece,” he added.
As he said, “when I hear that the new government refers to the country as the Republic of Macedonia within the country, I have serious concerns. And this is a topic I intend to address. It is not constructive and does not help the European path of North Macedonia”.
Cyprus and war in Ukraine
Among other things, Mr. Mitsotakis also referred to the Cyprus issue, stressing that it has been 50 years since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. He reiterated the need for a solution based on the decisions of the UN Security Council, while reminding that Cyprus is an occupied European country.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, the prime minister stated that Greece from the beginning placed itself on the side of its allies and offered full support to Kiev.
“This was not a given for a country that had historical, cultural and religious ties with Russia”, noted Mr. Mitsotakis and added that “we made our position clear. We have delivered it in terms of political, economic and military support and our position is not going to change.”
He pointed out, at the same time, that the E.E. she was remarkably united. “We have put in place a number of strong actions and in fact we were the ones who delivered a significant fiscal support package,” he said.
Regarding the prospective accession of Ukraine to the E.U. he emphasized that “we have crossed this bridge and this long journey has begun”. “We may have problems with one or two countries. One of them happens to lead the EU Council. as we speak. But overall European support has been very consistent and strong,” he added.
At the same time, the prime minister also referred to the organization of European security and the possibility of it functioning in addition to NATO. On this he spoke about the proposal he has made with the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. “For a European defense initiative that is essentially a European air defense shield to strengthen our existing defense capabilities by committing more European resources to this project, always fully integrated into NATO structures,” he noted.
“Fundamental Turkish positions have not changed radically”
Regarding the relationship with Turkey, he recalled that we had three years of difficult times, noting that in the last year and a half, things have improved significantly and we must recognize that.
“At the same time, we recognize that some of the fundamental Turkish positions regarding the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean have not fundamentally changed. But the fact that we’ve had sixteen months of quiet, in terms of not having violations of Greek airspace, that we’re cooperating better on immigration, that we’ve actually made an agreement that allows Turkish citizens to travel to the Aegean islands and take the their visas very quickly, these are all some positive steps,” he added.