KOTZIAS: “I think that Greek-Turkish relations are relations that have a number of problems that must be solved, and the solution will be based on international law as well as on trust between the two peoples and the corresponding competent services… We are carrying out open, honest discussions, and I think that the state of trust is better than it was a year ago.”
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After Istanbul, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias will travel to Israel, in preparation for the Greek-Israeli High Level Cooperation Council, and to Cyprus, for the Greece-Cyprus-Israel trilateral Summit Meeting.
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Xydakis: “”In recent days, extremist conservative European circles have been attempting to target Greece, presenting it as the source of the refugee problem. In this context, they have taken the Greek coastguard to task for supposedly not “protecting” the maritime borders by intercepting refugee and migration flows by military means.”
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KOTZIAS: We have to combat the reasons behind the fleeing of refugees. In other words, for there to be peace in Syria. One of the big mistakes was the inadequate funding of the reception and accommodation spaces for the refugees in Lebanon and Jordan.
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The Alternate Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Nikos Xydakis, met at the Foreign Ministry today [Jan 22] with the Palestinian Ambassador to Greece, Marwan Emile Toubassi, and the Tunisian Ambassador to Greece, Tarek Saadi, following the Hellenic Parliament’s passing, on 22 December 2015, of its Resolution on recognition of the Palestinian state.
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KOTZIAS: “We agreed that we have need of a vision for Europe; a vision that cannot be limited to just certain tools of diplomacy. HAMMOND: “I believe that Britain is good for Europe, and Europe, if we can get the right reforms, is good for Britain.”
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FM Kotzias: “We want to make Greece an energy center. This will upgrade our geopolitical and geo-economic capabilities. It will enable us to have energy at a competitive a cost and at competitive prices. It will contribute to stability in the region.”
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Xydakis highlighted Greece’s longstanding support for proposals that enhance border protection, adding that the new force, when it is created, must act with the consent of the interested state.
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KOTZIAS: as regards the name issue “we are seeking an honest compromise” – POPOSKI: “creation of false expectations is in no one’s interest.”
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In the wake of the recent terrorists attacks on Paris, discussion will also focus on the EU strategy for combating terrorism, particularly through severing the international funding flows of the terrorist organizations and breaking up illegal gun trafficking networks, as well as through optimal exchange of information between member states.
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