Athens, 5 February 2010

Mr. Droutsas: I wanted to take advantage of my presence here and your willingness to discuss with us, to speak about Greek foreign policy and how the new Greek government is viewing things. I‘ll try to convey to you our thinking on the issues of direct Greek interest but not only. So, I will restrict myself to only a few introductory remarks and I’m then open for your questions.

As I said we are a new government in Greece, we celebrated only a few days ago our first 100 days in government. It is obvious and an undeniable fact that Greece is going through a rather challenging period regarding the economic situation we, as new Greek government have found ourselves into. The primary goal of the government is of course to change the situation in immediate terms. The government and PM George Papandreou have shown since the first 100 days, in a very clear manner, the way we are going to address things and, if I may describe this in only one sentence: this is a Greek government with a vision for the country, for Greece but also, being very pragmatic, hands on and knowing very well and exactly what we have to do. So, the first 100 days were for us the time needed to get the full picture of the situation in Greece and to take the first immediate and necessary measures to address the challenges we have in front of us. I do not want to say too much in my introductory remarks about the economic situation, I am not an economic expert myself and not a competent minister for that, but of course I will be open and glad to answer any questions you may have, and also to give you a little bit of an outline of the way we want to address things and change the situation in our country. This is a mixture of immediate measures and really structured reforms that are needed in Greece. It is a rather difficult and challenging situation for Greece and the Greek people but this government is determined to do whatever is needed.

The Prime Minister, only two days ago, addressed the Greek nation and announced the measures that will be taken immediately by the government. Yesterday the European Commission gave its consent and support to the 3-year Stabilization program that the Greek government had introduced to the Commission and we are very confident that the international markets will also respond very fast to this development and to the statements of support issued in the last few days both by the EC and member states of the EU, the most influential ones. 

This approach goes for our foreign policy too. It is an approach with a vision for the country. We know that we have some open issues that we have to deal with. I will not bother you now, in my introductory remarks, with details on that but I am sure there will be questions on that which I will be very happy to answer. It is the Cyprus issue of course; we are having quite important developments on the island. We have of course the relations of Greece with Turkey; the government is embarking again on a new effort to come closer and cooperate with Turkey. In this respect PM Papandreou already had a meeting with PM Erdogan. Only a few days ago, I had a meeting, in the framework of the London International Conference for Afghanistan, with Turkish FM Davutoglu. I will be happy to discuss this as well with you. Also, we have in our immediate neighborhood, in the Balkans, the issue of the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where from the very first moment the Greek government and the Prime Minister has expressed the willingness and the wish to proceed with the settlement of this issue. We have already taken first initiatives, for instance initiating direct contacts with Skopje, also on the level of the PM.

But I would like to concentrate in these introductory remarks on what we feel that Greece can contribute to the international community and to international developments. First of all we think that our immediate neighborhood, the Balkans, is a region where we have shown also in the past that we can be some sort of a driving motor for the future of this region – and I’m referring here especially to the European accession process of the countries of the Western Balkans. Here already in the past, in 2003, Greece as EU Presidency at that time had initiated a very clear policy for the EU regarding the Balkans, called at that time the Thessaloniki agenda. We have the feeling that this dynamism that was created at the time for the Balkans regarding their European accession process has somehow vanished for many reasons, especially because of what we call in Europe euro-skepticism and enlargement fatigue in many European member states. This is what we want to address and we have already taken an initiative, what we call the Agenda 2014, saying that we want to have a target date for the accession of the Western Balkan countries. Again here I would be glad to get into more details in our discussion, but I would just like to outline the philosophy behind this initiative because I know very well the problems that exist in the region.  For some of the countries 2014 might seem too close as a date for the completion of all requirements and the fulfillment of the necessary criteria for accession; What we say is that we  have to take advantage and use symbolisms in these efforts. The symbolism with the chosen date of 2014 is the 100 years after the beginning of WWI, that started in Sarajevo. That date can be regarded –simplistically speaking of course – as the root of the open conflicts we are still facing in the Balkans. The idea is to say that the EU, as the most successful peace project, shall take up its responsibilities for the region of the Balkans too, and contribute effectively and efficiently to the accession process of this region and to the idea of creating an everlasting peace and stability. Regarding the wider region of Southeastern Europe, here we think that through our cooperation with Turkey we can contribute to stability in the wider region and also in many other issues. The Middle East has always been for Greece a region of specific importance. We believe that Greece has long and traditional ties with the region of the Middle East and with the Arab World, which means that we regard ourselves as being a credible interlocutor for these countries. And here we want to enhance again our presence and contribute to developments. Also, issues like Iran, where Greece can contribute positively taking advantage of the long and traditional ties with that country that are not just historical. We believe that Greece has the standing of a credible interlocutor in the region.

Finally, let me say a few words about the OSCE and the Presidency that Greece exercise in this organization during the year of 2009. I think here Greece has shown again that it can keep up with challenges. We are very proud that we received very positive comments about the way we exercised our Presidency and also that we were able to leave something behind us; I refer to what we call the Corfu process, which is the process and the discussion started within the framework of the OSCE for the new European security architecture. We think that this issue can be discussed within the OSCE in the most effective way, having there Russia as a partner. As you know Kazakhstan has now taken over the Presidency of the OSCE. Greece is in the so called Troika so this gives us, in institutional terms, the opportunity and possibility to further contribute to these discussions and also to further develop what we call the Corfu process.

In concluding I would like to say again that we are fully aware of the fact that the situation of Greece is a challenging one but what we aim to do and what we are working for is to create again the image and the picture of Greece that we were able to present to the international community in the past. I’m referring especially to the year 2004 when Greece managed to organize and show to the entire world really splendid Olympic Games in Athens. We want to revive again the image of Greece being a guarantor for stability in the region of the Balkans. We want to revive again the image of Greece that was elected into the Security Council, which was, of course, a big honour for our country. In this respect, may I just mention since we are here at the UN, that Greece is candidate for the Council for Human Rights for the period 2012-2015. We want to be present to the international developments and, once again, thank you very much for coming today and I am open to your questions.

Journalist: I wanted to ask you about the controversy right now about whether Greece is interested in seeking help from the IMF or whether this is only a European process. Without saying which way to go, what are the issues on that? And what about the most recent strike and the government being squeezed between the EU and the people.

Mr. Droutsas: On that, may I say categorically that there isn’t any kind of idea about the IMF. I would also like to repeat statements made by the EC only yesterday that there is full trust to the ability of the Greek economy, to the measures announced and the willingness that this new government and PM Papandreou has personally shown. So there is no thought at all about the IMF. Since you also mentioned the situation domestically in Greece, may I say a few words. As I said before, two days ago the PM addressed the nation with very clear words about the situation the country is finding itself in. He also announced the necessary measures that range from a new taxation system that will focus on combating tax evasion, to measures like increasing the age for pension, to other measures regarding structural changes in Greece. For instance, the system of governance in Greece right now consists of 5 levels, from the central government to the local government. As you can imagine this is quite a huge apparatus and we have already prepared the necessary bill to decrease the levels to 3. These are real, structure changes that we are having in mind. Besides that, necessary measures like freezing of the wages, freezing of hiring new civil servants have also been announced by the Greek PM. Of course, those kind of measures affect many of our citizens and it is only natural that there will be reactions. But we are confident that the Greek people understands  the situation our country is facing, and we are also very confident that the vast majority of the Greek people will lend their support to those measures. The PM has already undertaken some initiatives in order to create the necessary political positive climate, and has also met personally with the leaders of all political parties represented in the Greek parliament to present the situation and the necessary measures. The initial reactions we received from most of the political parties, especially those with higher influence because of their size, make us feel confident that we will be able to get over this difficult situation. But once again, regarding the IMF, there is no thought about this and may I say in this context that there is no thought and no need about any financial assistance by the EU itself.

Journalist: There is a story today about the cost of insuring Greece’s debt. And there are worries all around Europe that this might affect the euro system. How do you address that? Are you concerned that this crisis might crack the eurozone?

Mr. Droutsas: We are putting our utmost efforts to dealing with the situation at hand. I think that it is important that the European Commission and many EU partners have expressed full confidence in the measures taken, and in the way the Greek government addresses the issue. This is what we want to rely on. On the issue of the euro, it is not only a crisis that the Greek economy is going through. It is also what we can see as an attempt to attack the euro currency itself. Because Greece is going through a difficult period, Greece is the first spot to attack. This is why solidarity is needed by the EU, in order not to have the euro itself being under pressure.  

Journalist: You talked about the Middle East and the specific importance of Greece in the region. Could you be more specific about that especially about Lebanon?

Mr. Droutsas: If one looks back to even recent Greek political history, one will very easily notice and realize that Greece has in the past played a major role in developments in the Middle East and the Arab world. I am referring here to the name Papandreou itself. Andreas Papandreou, former PM, and today’s PM George Papandreou has, I think, a very high reputation in the region. I may add to that, that George Papandreou, besides his function as PM of Greece has also a second hat as President of the Socialist International. This gives us an additional tool. For instance, regarding the Middle East, both in Israel and in Palestine there are governing parties that are members of the Socialist International; the Labour Party in Israel and the Fatah from the Palestinian side. This, as you can imagine, has given us many opportunities in the past of being in close contact, and, on a second track diplomatic way, to contribute to developments during times when some sort of official contacts may have been more difficult. We believe that all this tradition and all this history, has contributed a lot to building up this credibility that we feel that we enjoy in the region. This is something we want to continue and further build upon.

Journalist: What specific measures or steps has Greece taken to reach out to Netanyahu and the administration in Israel? And how would you characterize the relationships you now have with the state of Israel?

Mr. Droutsas: Greece is following a foreign policy which makes it natural for us to have the necessary good contacts with all our interlocutors, especially in our neighborhood; a region of immediate concern for us. Relations with the state of Israel are at a very good level. We are working further on that. The FM of Israel visited Athens in the beginning of December during the Ministerial meeting of the OSCE, and in the framework and margins of this meeting, we had our first bilateral meeting between the new Greek government and Israeli government. Personally I am planning to visit the region in the very near future in this attempt of giving back to Greece the strong voice and presence in the region and, certainly, visits to Israel will be part of this effort.

Journalist: You said that Greece can contribute to defusing tensions in Iran. What could be this contribution?

Mr. Droutsas: Again, I will refer here to the “second hat” of Prime Minister George Papandreou as president of the Socialist International. This gives us the opportunity of opening up doors or leaving doors open, when maybe other official tracks are sometimes more difficult. Let me remind you that under this “hat”, as president of the Socialist International, Mr. Papandreou visited Teheran a few years ago, when the issue of the Iranian nuclear program came out on the international scene quite heavily; we had reached, at that time, a moment where the official contacts were interrupted. We were approached – Prime Minister Papandreou was at that time leader of the main opposition in Greece –by the parties involved and also by our EU partners, who are part of the negotiating process, and we were asked to try to find ways of mediating, in a very modest way – I don’t want to exaggerate the role we have played and we can play. This has contributed a lot to the reinforcement of the credibility that we enjoying in the wider region. In this context, and after consultations with EU partners and others, the Prime Minister had another meeting with the Iranian leadership, with President Ahmadinejad, in the margins of the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit. So, we believe that, if necessary, and if need be, and if there is interest, and if we are asked to, we can certainly contribute in this too.

Let me just say another very brief comment on that and, please, do not characterize me as being too romantic in my thinking. It is my sincere belief that in our modern world and in the complicated international relations we are living in, we have to play with and take advantage of symbolisms. Greece has a very, very long history, and we are proud that, as Greeks, we have contributed a lot to humanity with democracy. There are still some things that humanity really cherishes and values. For instance the Olympic Games and the spirit behind the OG; the Olympic Truce, which we tried to promote within the UN in view of the Athens 2004 Olympics  achieving a unanimous resolution.

There is another small event that is taking place this year, in 2010, the anniversary of the 2.500 years since the battle of Marathon. This is nothing I would like to overestimate, but still such kind of things, such kind of anniversaries, such kind of historical events can also contribute a little bit to the building of a relationship, of confidence and what we are trying to do for developments in our world.

Journalist: Could you be more specific on where you stand over the debate that’s going on within the EU about the sanctions to Iran?

Mr. Droutsas: First of all, let me be clear: In the framework of the EU there has not started yet any official discussion about sanctions on the side of the EU. Let me be very clear about that. For us, for Greece, it is more natural that we want to explore all possibilities for dialogue. This is not a concept only for Iran but it is a general attitude and approach of Greece. For us, dialogue and the search of resolutions in peaceful manners is something that we cherish, and we think that we have always to try until the very last moment and explore all possibilities. But, if it is necessary and the time is mature, then Greece will, of course, be on the side and support the decisions of the international community. But for us, it is most important that anything that might be decided upon, must be under the framework and have the legitimization of the UN.   

Journalist: Could you please give us some information about how does the new Greek government regard the relations between Turkey and Greece and some information about the ongoing negotiations on Cyprus? Are you optimistic?

Mr. Droutsas: As you rightly pointed out, back in 1999, today’s Prime Minister George Papandreou initiated, in cooperation with his then counterpart Ismail Gem a new approach in Greek-Turkish relations. We said, on the one hand, that in order to feel that we have a stable neighbor, it is necessary for Turkey to undergo certain reforms in order to evolve into what we, at least, and the EU regards as a modern European democracy. In this respect we said that it will be useful to open the door, if I may say so, of the EU for Turkey and promote the Turkish candidacy for becoming member of the European Union. We believe that this is the right thing to do in order to help and support Turkey in the necessary domestic reforms. Besides those criteria that have to be fulfilled, there are also issues that are of specific Greek interest and are important for us. This means that we want to see a Turkey that fully respects international law, that fully respects the territorial integrity of all its neighbors, that also respects human and minority rights, the rights of religions freedom – you know that close to our heart are the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. We feel that through the European accession process, Turkey will be able to make and undertake these necessary reforms.   

On the other side, we said that we also want, in a bilateral level, to increase our cooperation. This is why we examine so carefully what areas do exist where we share common interests, Greece and Turkey, where we can cooperate. We want to try to establish a relationship that is characterized by cooperation rather than antagonism. We think that in the period of 1999 – 2004 we had some good progress. We had an change of government in Greece and, maybe, the approach of the previous Greek government regarding the relations with Turkey was not the same that we had. We have the feeling that in the last years the relations of Greece with Turkey have again had some tension and what we are trying now to do, as a new Greek government, is to bring back the spirit we had created in the 1999 – 2004 period. We know, of course, that the circumstances have changed regarding the EU. There is not anymore this clear message by the EU that we managed to have in 1999 saying that “Turkey, you are welcome to the EU, to become a member state, if you do your ‘homework’”. Today’s message from the EU is some sort of a mixed message, and some EU member- states do not express themselves anymore in this clarity. This has contributed to the effect that some forces in Turkey, that are not convinced of the necessity to undergo all these reforms, have strengthen their stance in Turkey,  and this is why we see some sort of stagnation. This maybe has also contributed to a higher tension between Greece and Turkey. What we are trying to do now is to bring back the spirit of 1999 into our relations. In this respect PM Papandreou had already a first meeting with PM Erdogan, where we had the feeling that PM Erdogan is sincerely wishing to embark on this path of cooperation. I met with Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu, as I said, in the margins of the London Afghanistan Conference and we had a first, very positive exchange of views. We have said that we have to try to enhance our cooperation with some specific moves. There will be soon a first meeting of officials of our two foreign ministries to elaborate again, to see in which areas we can enhance our cooperation. What we have in mind is, on a global level, to seek cooperation on issues like the consequences of climate change in the Mediterranean region. This is of the utmost importance for both our countries and both our peoples. We believe that, if we join forces on this issue, we can, maybe, find the necessary ways to confront these consequences.

Since we talked about the Middle East before, regional cooperation may be on issues regarding the Middle East. This is something we will examine to see whether we can jointly do something about. Having as an outline, if I may use an example, an initiative that George Papandreou had taken together with Ismail Gem; they visited together Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, when it was a difficult time for him, and then continued the visit and went together, met together, with the then PM of Israel Ariel Sharon. Again, symbolic moves; two countries that are seen as being antagonists in the region, joined forces to send the message of peace, and talked to another region that is characterized by tension. This is the spirit we want to continue and for us, in Greece, it is important to come up with a solution on the issue of the delimitation of the continental shelf in the Aegean, which we regard as the only open issue between our two countries, which is, by the way, a legal issue. So this is why Greece says “let us give it a try”. It cannot be an open-ended process; It must make this effort within a reasonable time framework, and we say that “if we are not able to reach an agreement by ourselves, then let us address jointly the International Court of Justice”.

I apologize for the length of my answer. Now, regarding Cyprus and the developments today; first of all, the Cyprus issue is for Greek foreign policy, as you know, the agenda item number one. This is for us of the utmost importance and Greece has been and is still lending its full support to the efforts undertaken by president Dimitris Christofias in his talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mr. Talat. Mr. Christofias enjoys our full support in this process. I cannot say that I am in a position to expressing too much optimism with the present stage of the negotiations. We certainly regard this period and these efforts as very important and they need the support of the international community as a whole. That said, when we are dealing with these issues we have to be objective and realistic, and the present stage of the negotiations do not allow us to be overwhelmingly optimistic at this moment. You will allow me to say also why I come to this conclusion; what we have seen by Ahmet Ali Talat’s latest proposals that he had put forward, forces us to characterize them as a step back and not a step to the necessary right direction. What we have seen in the latest proposals by Mr. Talat is again the idea and the rhetoric of the past, talking about two independent sates forming some sort of a confederation. This is totally out of the framework and the basis of the relevant UN resolutions, and out of the framework that have been discussed so far by the two leaders. This does not make us feel very confident and optimistic at this very moment.   We very much hope that in the days and weeks to come there will be a real progress. We regard this as being an opportunity, but we are opposing to the arguments and statements that we sometimes hear that this is the very last opportunity for the Cyprus settlement; that if we do not take advantage of this opportunity then we will never see a Cyprus solution. Let me tell you it can’t be the last opportunity and we should always bear in mind that we need a solution that would really be viable and to the interest of both communities. Time certainly plays a role but time should not be the ultimate factor for the quality of the final outcome. And a very last word on Cyprus because I believe this is very important. First and foremost we say that the Cyprus settlement that we are looking for should be a Cypriot settlement. What we mean by this is that the two communities, Greek - Cypriot and Turkish – Cypriot, should be able and allowed to discuss and negotiate their own future by themselves without external intervention and external pressure. The second thing we are saying is, and this is for me personally of highest importance, that the solution, the settlement agreed upon, must be a European solution, meaning that the Republic of Cyprus is a member- state of the EU and Cyprus will be a member –state of EU also after a mutually agreed settlement. This means that Cyprus should be able to fully and efficiently function within EU. This is in the interest of both Greek- Cypriots and Turkish – Cypriots; of all Cypriots; this is in the interest also of the EU itself in order to be able to function smoothly. So this is why we say that when discussing about the settlement, the European rules, what we call the “acquis communautaire” must be fully respected. I think that this can be the key for the final settlement.

Journalist: My question is with your relationship with the OSCE, and your very good relationship with Kazakhstan and your (inaudible) to human rights. Is there any possibility we could monitor Kazakhstan’s offences on human rights? It is becoming quite serious, it’s escalating…

Mr. Droutsas: Thank you for the opportunity to say a few words on the Chairmanship of Kazakhstan at the OSCE. It is a fact there are issues to be dealt domestically, but we think that the OSCE has with consensus agreed to entrust Kazakhstan with the Chairmanship of the OSCE for 2010. I think this is a very positive and important message on the part of OSCE, that Kazakhstan will be able to exercise the Chairmanship of such an important organization. I also regard this as a chance for Kazakhstan to prove to the international community what they are able to do, and to show towards the international community the very best image of this country. So I would rather see in the Kazakh OSCE Chairmanship a very big chance and a very positive message for the whole region of Central Asia; it is certainly a challenge but also a positive message. Kazakhstan will certainly have and enjoy our full support during its Chairmanship .Greece being in the so called Troika we will be here to support Kazakhstan and be always at their disposal to go together this path.

Journalist: (inaudible)… How do you see this new European Architecture and what is Greece expecting from it. There are issues in Europe in addition to Cyprus and Greece- Turkey, but also Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia and so on.  The 1975 accord established that any modifications of words or issues should be (inaudible). What is this new architecture and what is Greece expecting from it?

Mr. Droutsas: This is exactly the core of what Greece tried to do during the OSCE Presidency, what we called the Corfu process that we initiated back in June 2009. You’ve mentioned several countries like Ukraine and of course Russia. We believe that a European security architecture cannot be seriously discussed without involving those countries in our discussions, also taking to consideration their views and their sensitivities, if you like. This is why we believe that an organization like the OSCE is the most suitable place and forum for such discussion. And this is what I think we managed to do during our Presidency, with the Corfu process. This is something that we managed to continue during the ministerial meeting of the OSCE in December in Athens. We are also very glad that during the ministerial meeting in Athens we managed to come up with a declaration on this issue because this, first of all, has created the necessary foundation for the continuation of this process and this discussion, and it shows that the OSCE and all OSCE partners are taking this discussion very seriously.

Journalist: You mentioned the battle in Marathon. I don’t know either this did a lot to improve the relations between Greece and Persia but I also what to raise an issue from ancient history which is the dispute with FYROM over the name. What can your government bring to this argument that previous governments did not? What can you do this time to resolve this issue?

Mr. Droutsas: First of all regarding the battle of Marathon, certainly these were other times, but again I think that taking advantage of such symbolisms can be helpful. Regarding the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; first of all the new government and the Prime Minister himself, right after the elections in Greece, said very clearly that we want to see this issue be settled. Our position on that is very clear, and so are our proposals and our thoughts on that. We speak about a solution that will have a name with a geographical qualifier that will be used by everybody, erga omnes, as the legal term says. Let me briefly explain why we think that this approach by Greece is a very objective one and can really be the key for the solution. The first issue that we have to tackle is that it can not be accepted that in a historical region a part is claiming to be representing the whole. This is why we think that a name with a geographical qualifier can in very clear terms make this separation. The second thing is that, as soon as the two countries together agree on this name, this name must be used by everybody because, if not, we just have a continuation or a prolongation of the current situation. We will see again Skopje embarking on some sort of a race to convince third countries to recognize Skopje with another name than the one mutually agreed. This is the logic behind our position and our proposal. So the new government has right from the beginning said we are here, we are ready to accelerate negotiations under the UN framework, and to this end we have said we also want to establish direct contact with Skopje that did not exist in the previous years. This is why PM Papandreou invited PM Gruevski for direct meetings, saying that ‘we do not know each other yet, let us meet to see what do you think about this, what do I think about this’. There is a true willingness to speak and come up with a solution. This is the attitude that this Greek government has; a real willingness with a very constructive attitude under the frame of the UN to negotiate and to come up with a settlement. This is also what we are expecting from Skopje, from the political leadership of Skopje. I cannot say that the political leadership of Skopje was very forthcoming in the past, and statements made from the political leadership of Skopje were certainly not constructive and not helpful, but we very much hope that there will be a change of attitude. And, as we say, Greece has already come its half way towards a solution, we are now expecting Skopje to come halfway towards us. Since you’ve mentioned our previous government and that we have not succeed in coming up with a settlement that time; yes, unfortunately we have not. But also, let me tell you that in that time the Greek government had presented a similar attitude with the one we are presenting today. After the elections of 2004 we realized that between 1999 and 2004 most of our meetings and discussions were with Skopje, Turkey coming close second. That proves the approach of this government. I should also say that back in 2001, 2002 we were very close to a settlement with Skopje. Unfortunately the civil war broke out which made it impossible for the political leadership at the time in Skopje to further proceed. But this is our attitude. We are reaching out in a very sincere manner the hand of friendship to Skopje and especially the people in our neighbor country, and what we are appealing to, especially to the political leadership of Skopje is to not to contribute any further to the creation of a negative image of Greece as being the enemy, as being the country that is locking the future of our neighbors; this is not true, not true at all. I will remind you, and I also think is necessary to remind public opinion in our neighboring country of what Greece has done for this country since the very beginning of its foundation, in economic support, in political support, and also that we sincerely mean, the support we want to lent to Skopje in their European accession process.

Journalist: You did not mention anything on Macedonian ethnicity or language. It is not part of the negotiation any more?

Mr. Droutsas: The mandate of the UN is I think very clear.