Athens , 30 November 2009

Journalist: Mister Minister, the OSCE holds its Ministerial Council in Athens in December. On this occasion, I would like to ask you about the review of the Greek OSCE Chairmanship and whether initiatives such as the Corfu Process have borne fruit.

Mr. Droutsas: We approached the major issues in the course of the year. I believe that we managed to bring all the parties closer together and that we have shown that we meant what we said, i.e. that we would act as “honest brokers”. But I would agree that the added value introduced by the Greek Chairmanship to the OSCE is the Corfu Process. The Greek Chairmanship tried to capitalise on President Medvedev’s proposal on a new “European Security Treaty”, as the start for a constructive and substantial dialogue. Everyone embraced the Corfu Process, and hence the foundations were laid. We hope that we will proceed at the Athens Ministerial with the institutionalisation and the continuation of this dialogue.

Journalist: Russia – as an OSCE member – has at times suggested certain changes to the Organization. It suggested among other things that the OSCE does not have a complete statute and does not impose specific rules and obligations on its members regarding certain points. Its suggestions included a proposal for the OSCE to concern itself – beyond the established issues of human rights and elections – also with security issues such as the drawing up of a comprehensive treaty on European security. What is your view on these proposals?

Mr. Droutsas: We attribute great importance to the promotion and further strengthening of the OSCE’s legal framework. It is besides with this purpose in mind that we appointed an “OSCE CiO Personal Envoy”, a competent Greek lawyer with the task of facilitating the relevant discussion even further. This past year, participating states were given repeated opportunities to present their proposals on how to strengthen the Organization’s legal framework. There have been – and there always will be - different views and approaches within such a broad international organisation such as the OSCE, but they were presented in a climate of constructive dialogue with a view to achieving consensus on such an important issue for everyone. We want to take the discussion on strengthening the legal framework of the OSCE one more step forward and we hope that will achieve this in Athens.

Journalist: In 2010, Kazakhstan will be the first country of the former Soviet Union to chair the OSCE. What is your assessment of Kazakhstan’s programme for its OSCE Chairmanship and your general view on the main problems and challenges of this Chairmanship?

Mr. Droutsas: Kazakhstan is the first country of the former Soviet Union to assume the responsibility of the OSCE Chairmanship and this is highly symbolic. Greece supported Kazakhstan’s bid for the OSCE Chairmanship from the outset. I believe that all the participating states, in a climate of cooperation and solidarity, will be able to set off on a common course towards a better future of security and peace; From Vancouver to Vladivostok, as we say within the OSCE. The OSCE is faced with many challenges. Greece will be on the side of Kazakhstan, taking part in the OSCE Troika, and will assist the new Chairmanship with its mission. Particular emphasis will be given to the continuation of the Corfu Process. We indicated the departure point and we are now moving forward jointly.

Journalist: I also have a question regarding our bilateral cooperation. There have been repeated reports in the Greek press that the new Greek government is going to reassess its cooperation with Russia, particularly on the two major energy projects, i.e. the Burgas-Alexandroupoli oil pipeline and the South Stream natural gas pipeline. Have there indeed been changes in your approach towards this issue?

Mr. Droutsas: We are in constant contact with the government of the Russian Federation and they are aware of our positions. In our recent meetings with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Titov, we were given the opportunity to reconfirm our two countries' close relations. We are indeed talking about a strategic relationship between Greece and Russia. In a few days, we will receive Foreign Minister Mr. Lavrov and we look forward to our discussions. I would like to remind you of our close cooperation on major international issues and, more specifically, the initiatives of the Greek EU Presidency for the promotion of EU-Russian relations. To us, relations of substance rather than image and communication are of importance. Our priorities in the field of energy are firm and are aimed at strengthening energy security and at safeguarding our country’s energy self-sufficiency, upgrading it to a European energy hub. Both the Burgas-Alexandroupoli oil pipeline and the South Stream natural gas pipeline are firm priorities of this policy. They are significant infrastructure works with an impact on the entire region of Southeast Europe and we are moving ahead with the necessary actions for their swift implementation. The environmental aspect is of great importance to us and to the Russian Federation.