Athens , 4 November 2009

Mr. Trilikis: First of all, foreign policy issues are among those of great importance. Economy, foreign policy and issues having to do with employment and security are the four main sectors, the basic package; the foundations of a new government; foundations upon which the strategy during the years it governs will be based and unfold.

Regarding the economy, you have seen that we address it every day. These are the major issues, because the submission of the budget is coming up. Employment issues, the decisions and intentions of the government have been made clear; the competent minister, the competent ministers, have communicated them to us with regard to employees under contract, employment contracts, project contracts, Stage employees, and so on.

Public security – we’re still waiting there, even though Mr. Chrysohoidis has made his intentions clear to also increase patrols. We had unforeseen incidents, which are to be expected, as they say – even though they these incidents were unfortunately terrorist attacks. And there, too, we are waiting to see some other issues that he will hasten to address – I imagine – in the coming time, and of course when a chief has been chosen.

What we haven’t looked at – and I think the time has come – are issues concerning the country’s foreign policy. First of all, the Foreign Minister is George Papandreou; the country’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.

But the person who is essentially doing all the work and will have to pull the foreign policy cart – however heavy it gets, and however many issues are loaded onto it – is Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas, whom most of us didn’t know until recently.

A person who was and worked behind the scenes, behind George Papandreou. A person who has come to know the foreign policy issues from many ramparts throughout these years. In spite of this, he was never center-stage in the news.

That is why we will have the pleasure and honor of welcoming him for the first time, to what I imagine is the first public interview he has given. Mr. Droutsas, good morning. How are you?

Mr. Droutsas: Hello, Mr. Trilikis. Greetings to your listeners.

Mr. Trilikis: I imagine that you have found your bearings, because 30 days – 30-something days at the Foreign Ministry – you had to start from scratch, as they say. Like a cat sniffing in corners, you had to sniff out the issues having to do with internal organization and – mainly – the manner in which you will put the country’s foreign policy in order, I imagine.

Mr. Droutsas: Mr. Trilikis, this is not a new field for us – particularly the field of foreign policy. I dare say that we have extensive experience from previous years of PASOK governments, when Mr. Papandreou was Foreign Minister. So these issues are not new to us.

I won’t hide the fact that we would have preferred it if the issues had moved further ahead from where we left them in 2004. But I would also say that the first 30 days – as you said – have provided tangible indications; we took a number of initiatives. I think that we came through on what we said before the elections: that the new government will exercise a dynamic foreign policy of initiatives, taking advantage of every opportunity that arises, and also creating opportunities to defend our interests.

Mr. Trilikis: The truth is, Mr. Minister, that on the level of communication, the first thing Mr. Papandreou did was carry out a lightning visit to our neighboring country Turkey – which is at the core of our foreign policy; also, a visit that took place within the framework of the EU organs, where he also had the opportunity to meet with our northern neighbours so that we can see how these issues will proceed.

So I assume that you have already given an indication of your priorities.

Mr. Droutsas: Certainly, Mr. Trilikis. And allow me to say that these were not just ‘communication’ moves, as you said, but also moves of deep substance, because through moves and initiatives like this, you send the first substantial messages in all directions. As you said, you indicate what your intentions are.

Of course, our immediate region – our immediate neighbourhood, the Balkans – is a priority for us. We have stressed repeatedly that we want Greece to have a real leading role in the region again, as our country should. Naturally, we put particular emphasis on the European accession courses of all these countries.

Here, Greece wants to be the motor force again – as I like to say – behind the courses of all these countries. Allow me to remind you that in the past – in 2003 – under the Greek EU Presidency, we laid firm foundations for this accession course – the European perspective of the Balkan countries – with the Thessaloniki Agenda.

It is our impression that this strategy slackened; this momentum was lost in recent years. This is precisely what we want again: to give new impetus to the accession courses of all these countries in our immediate neighbourhood. And I think we made this clear to all of our partners in the European Union: that Greece really wants to play this role and is capable of doing so.

Mr. Trilikis: On the level of substance, Mr. Droutsas, I assume that this strategy is ongoing, even during the time New Democracy was at the helm of the government. That is, the framework of Turkey’s European perspective via the obligations our neighbouring country is obliged to meet and comply with.

But as regards the strategy, have you planned to adopt a different tactic, a different strategy from that of you predecessors?

Mr. Droutsas: I think I have said this repeatedly, as well, and I had the opportunity to underscore this in the government’s policy statements to the Parliament: that the national objectives don’t change, of course. In Greece, I think that we – most of us, anyway – have managed to agree on common objectives on national issues.

But what I want to stress is that the manner of approach, the manner in which foreign policy is exercised, will change. It has already changed. As I said before, initiatives are a priority. We will take initiatives. We will take the steering wheel in our hands on foreign policy issues. We don’t want Greece to be in a simply defensive position.

We want to guide things in the direction that we choose. And it is on this basis that the initial moves were made, on the level of the Prime Minister himself, with his presence in Istanbul and the meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. The same holds true for the informal, introductory meeting with the Skopje Prime Minister, Mr. Gruevski, which took place on our initiative.

We are sending the right messages. But of course – and I want to stress this – the first official bilateral meeting of the Greek Prime Minister took place a day after the vote of confidence from the Parliament, and it took place in Cyprus. There, he met with President Christofias, will all of the political leadership, and this is a very symbolic move, as well as a move of substance, showing that Greece, as we have said and underscored, will again be at Cyprus’s side, standing by the Cypriot people, not with just words, but with deeds.

Mr. Trilikis: Finishing up with Greek Turkish affairs, Mr. Droutsas, in spite of this I have to point out that despite the messages – the political and diplomatic messages sent by yourself and Mr. Papandreou to Turkey – the infringements and violations continue with the same intensity and content.

The day before yesterday, for example, violations by Turkish fighter jets over Farmakonisi. Will the reply there remain the same, for our stance to be relaxed – allow me to put it this way – and on the level of demarches, or do you think we should raise the tone and intensity of the ‘dialogue’ a little?

Mr. Droutsas: Look, of course we express our uneasiness and disappointment at the repetition of the familiar provocative and illegal practice of flyovers of Turkish fighters jets over Greek islands. We are not just stopping at words. As I said, we will deal with all of these issues dynamically, not defensively, taking the steering wheel into our hands again.

It is important for there to be contact between the two countries so that we can put even such issues in their proper place. And I would like to add that following this first contact and meeting between the Greek Prime Minister and his Turkish counterpart, just yesterday – the day before yesterday – I had a protocol meeting with the Turkish Ambassador here in Athens, and he delivered to me a letter from Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan to the Greek Prime Minister as a continuation of the first meeting. I think that this indicates the intention and will of the Turkish side for us to look seriously at what needs to be done. And I think this is a positive sign.

We will continue our contacts in this spirit and our initiatives in this direction. Mr. Egemen Bagis, the Turkish Minister for European Affairs and Chief Negotiator for Turkey’s EU accession will be in Greece tomorrow.

He will be in Greece within the framework of a conference, and I decided to invite him for a talk in an informal meeting.

Mr. Trilikis: Although we are very pressed for time, Mr. Droutsas – and this is a very interesting interview, because I think we are opening up the whole range of foreign policy issues, which are not so easy to discuss in the context of a radio interview – I would like you to say one or two things regarding the Balkans, with the priority being what you plan to do and the manner in which you want to unfold our diplomatic strategy on Skopje, as well as with the other neighbouring countries on our northern borders.

Mr. Droutsas: With great pleasure, Mr. Trilikis. As I said earlier, the Balkans are among our top priorities. They are our immediate neighbourhood. As I said, we will emphasize the European accession courses of all of these countries, and to that end …

Mr. Trilikis: There is the matter of a veto on Skopje.

Mr. Droutsas: Look, I’ll get to that matter. I just think it is always useful for us to look at all the issues from every angle, and not isolate certain things that are part of a larger picture.

We will make this effort. As I said before, we want to be the motor force of the European accession courses of all of these countries. And we have made a specific proposal. As we said, the momentum we had created died down, and we want to create fresh momentum.

We put forward a date, a target date, by which we hope that all of the procedures on the accession courses of these countries will have been completed. We said 2014 for symbolic reasons: 100 years after the outbreak of World War I, which one might say – in simple terms – is the root of today’s problems; the issues we are facing in the Balkans and that create instability.

The European Union is the most successful peace project we have seen. The European Union will have to undertake its responsibilities and contribute to peace and stability in the Balkans, which are an integral part of Europe.

Mr. Trilikis: Is there a Maginot Line for the name, Mr. Minister?

Mr. Droutsas: We have said that on this course there are prerequisites. Each country has to meet criteria and prerequisites. And I stress once again – so that we can be clear on this – what we have said repeatedly. For Skopje, this means that if it wants to begin accession negotiations with the European Union, it first needs to resolve the name issue. This is a prerequisite for us.

And on the name issue, there is the well known national red line, from which Greece will not make any deviation.

Mr. Trilikis: Given that you said you will undertake initiatives and your diplomatic strategy will be this, more or less, do you plan to take the situation a little more into your hands – as the Greek government and the Greek Foreign Ministry – circumventing the familiar and permanent and so far fruitless UN process, with you yourself, or Prime Minister Papandreou, visiting Skopje and the other Balkan capitals, thus undertaking a more active initiative?

Mr. Droutsas: I want to be clear on this. We have said this, and I repeat it. The process for the resolution of the name issue with Skopje is within the framework of the UN. That is where it belongs. This does not preclude – within this policy of initiatives we are implementing – our moving as well in order to contribute to this process.

As you said before – let me say this to your listeners – I am preparing a short tour of the Balkan countries in the near future. I am hopeful that we will be able to do this within the next two weeks, so that we can send this message.

We play a leading role in the region. Everything is open. As I have stressed repeatedly, looking at all the scenarios, looking at every potential and then taking the right decisions, shows a government’s seriousness. Everything is on the table.

Mr. Trilikis: Thank you very much.

Mr. Droutsas: Just one last thing, if I may. This is a new, dynamic foreign policy of initiatives, within the framework, however, of Greece’s clear and well known positions on all of the issues that concern us.

Mr. Trilikis: Shall I call it “aggressive diplomacy”?

Mr. Droutsas: In the positive sense.

Mr. Trilikis: Always.

Mr. Droutsas: Certainly.

Mr. Trilikis: I wish you courage and strength. Thank you very much.

Mr. Droutsas: Thank you, too.

Mr. Trilikis: And in any case, we will have the opportunity to discuss individual foreign policy issues as they arise in the news in the future.

Mr. Droutsas: Of course.