«Our policy in Ukraine is based on three basic principles: humanitarian law, the territorial integrity of states under the United Nations Charter and solidarity with our allies and partners in NATO and the EU,» Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told the Parliament's Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee.
At this moment, the Consul General of Greece, Manolis Androulakis, is now near the city of Berstyans on his way to Zaporizhia, the Minister informed and stressed that both Ambassador Francis Costellenos and the Consul in Odessa, Dimitris Dochtsi, ’honor the diplomatic corps« with what they have done. He stressed that these days »everything has been done, humanly possible, both to the Ukrainian authorities, and to the Russian authorities (who were attacking the city and creating casualties to the civilian population), and to the Red Cross, the OSCE, but also to the Catholic Church, which has been supplying fuel and food for the last three days to the shelter where our consul Mr. Androulakis was, along with 120 other people in the shelter of the building«.
The Minister focused on the principles of humanitarian law, as he said, «the scenes broadcast on television are dramatic and can only cause horror to every human being». The Russian invasion is creating tragedies, «to date we have 2,800,000 refugees from Ukraine» and in this there is a Greek community on the shores of the Black Sea that «mourned and mourns victims». The absolute number of victims, the minister said, «we will have it after the end of this tragedy.».
Dendias said that our country has co-signed the request to the International Court of Justice for the investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity by Russia. He underlined that «Greece has succeeded in being a strong country, a country that operates in a framework of understanding with a number of other countries, that believes in principles and values and implements them in its policies. We are not a country that has a la carte policy, and this was highlighted by our stance on Ukraine. Greece is not the enemy of anyone; it answers the questions posed in foreign policy on the basis of the principles and values that it expresses as a society, as a people, as a national existence in the depths of historical time. This is what we do. We always stand on the side of international law, we believe that this is in our own interest and one step further: that this is the right thing to do.».
Greek-Turkish
Referring to the Prime Minister's meeting with the President of Turkey, he said that «Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accepted President Erdogan's invitation and I think we all, or almost all, agree that he was right to accept it. It was an informal meeting, but despite the informality of the meeting, Mitsotakis had the sensitivity to inform all the political leaders.» The Foreign Minister said that since the meeting was informal, there can be no conclusions, no agenda, and no minutes, but stressed that «the Greek Prime Minister, like every Prime Minister in the course of the country's history, adhered to the absolute positions of Greek foreign policy.» Responding to remarks by opposition MPs, Dendias said that «we have all agreed over time that lines of communication must exist and woe betide us if we stop talking. But this does not mean, in any way, that we share the Turkish views. Besides, you know very well that Greece and Turkey have a difference in our understanding - and this is the subject of the discussion: the continental shelf and the definition of the EEZ in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. This is our difference with Turkey. The rest, so as not to be misunderstood, is about Turkey.‘.
It is noted that today's meeting of the Parliament's Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee concerned the ratification of a convention with the United Arab Emirates on cooperation in foreign policy and defence.
The agreement with the United Arab Emirates
This agreement, the Foreign Minister stressed, is part of the framework for the exercise of our foreign policy, which is broken down into circles and zones of contact, communication and understanding with a large number of countries. And it moves, albeit more forward and proactive, on the basis of principles and values that our foreign policy has always had. We took advantage, he explained, of a window of opportunity, but we also correctly saw the new architecture of the region - and this agreement is the result of the foresight of our foreign policy.
Answering the question whether this agreement with the UAE will work in case Turkey attacks us, Mr. Dendias replied that «it is not directed against anyone and is in favour of the states and peoples who have signed it» but called on the MPs to remember that «when the Turkish fleet was in the Eastern Mediterranean, there were four F-16 Blook 60 UAE F-16s with 130 personnel at the airport of Chania», adding that «the worst thing that can happen to a country and a people is to forget or not to notice...»
