MR. M. RIEKSTINS: Dear media representatives, I welcome you here in the press conference room of the Foreign Ministry, on the first joint press conference this year between foreign ministers. I have the honour to welcome the Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece, Dimitris Droutsas.
Now in this conversation, as it normally is between foreign ministers, we discussed our bilateral relations, the perspective of our bilateral relations and the opportunity for strengthening them, both in the aspects of economic cooperation and political contacts.
The major part of our conversation concerned the EU agenda. Given the current conditions of the European Union functioning as sort of the transitional period, when the work is undertaken for the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty regarding the European Union institutions, this also concerns the setting up of the new European Commission, and also regarding the external affairs service of the European Union, the position between our countries regarding the current issues on the agenda of the European Union are very close, if not identical.
And as concerns the external action service of the European Union and the necessity to ensure the adequate participation and representation of member states in this service, our opinions also coincide.
We spoke also about the EU enlargement process, which is a very important issue, both for Latvia and Greece. Latvia has always supported the open-door principle and the further enlargement of the European Union. And we still see that the European Union is a very powerful magnet for many countries who want to join the Union, and at the same time, when we emphasise our openness, we still believe that the countries who want to join the European Union must be ready and must be willing to fulfil the criteria which have been established.
We also spoke about the situation in the different regions, including the Western Balkans. Latvia is very open and very supportive to the decisions taken by the European Union regarding the perspective of the countries of the region, the future of the countries of the region that undeniably lies with the European Union. And here also the principle on the fulfilment of criteria is of fundamental importance.
We also spoke about the Eastern partnership of the European Union, which, in the opinion of Latvia, is a very important priority for the EU. And we are interested in a very stable, consistent development of these countries into good partners to the European Union, and we are ready to use the existing partnership instruments, to be able in various formats, both multilateral and bilateral, to support these countries.
These are the main issues we discussed today during our meeting, but I can also say that we agreed regarding our bilateral contacts to maintain these contacts on a very active platform. And I am very satisfied to welcome here a member of the Greek government, a very short time after this government came into force, and I am convinced that Greece is interested in the development of the dialogue with Latvia. And I can confirm that our interest is at the same level.
Now the floor is yours.
MR. D. DROUTSAS: Thank you very much, Maris. I would like to thank the Foreign Minister of Latvia and dear friend Maris for his very warm welcome, and it is a true pleasure to be here in Riga, and my visit here early in our term demonstrates the new government’s commitment to reinforce Greece’s cooperation with the Baltic countries and build on the very good existing relations we enjoy with Latvia.
And on a personal note, I think that the signing of Latvia’s EU accession treaty in Athens back in the spring of 2003 is one more testimony of the special relationship Greece and Latvia enjoy.
As Maris said before me, today we had a very fruitful discussion on a number of topics. We reviewed bilateral relations and discussed about a number of regional and international issues.
We also had a useful exchange of views about the institutional framework of the European Union after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.
We exchanged views on the EU’s regional policy and the enlargement process. And after all, our two countries, Greece and Latvia, share common characteristics, being among the small and medium-sized members of the Union, and at the same time located on its borders. We are countries with EU external borders.
Let me say that the entire continent is going through a very hard time. The international economic crisis has taken its toll, not only on our economies but most importantly on our societies. It has hampered social cohesion and our Union’s prospects for the future.
And in time of hardship such as these, solidarity among partners is of utmost importance. Solidarity is important in every aspect of our relations, also even if our views diverge in certain issues. And this is what gives strength to our Union, to the European Union, and to every single member.
Today we had also the opportunity to brief in depth each other on issues that are close to our heart. On my part, I explained in detail to Maris the content of our proposal of the so-called Agenda 2014, which is the Greek initiative that comes as a follow-up to the 2003 Thessaloniki Agenda.
Our aim is to give a strong political push to the European prospects of all Western Balkan countries. The prize to win is EU membership by 2014, a very symbolic date, a hundred years after the beginning of the First World War in Sarajevo, which one could argue is the source of many of the open wounds that continue to haunt the Balkans.
We are not changing the rules of the accession process in the middle of the game. It is clear that each country will be judged on its own merits, and conditions will have to be met. But what we want to do is to bring some sort of fresh air to this process and renew the European Union’s pledge toward the Balkan peoples.
And I hope that today after our meeting this initiative has won another important supporter with Latvia.
Solidarity, as I said, is the cornerstone of our participation to the European Union. This is what gives us strength, as a group of nations, in our everyday dealings with the rest of the world. On enlargement issues, solidarity guarantees the Union’s cohesion, as it grows larger. And we should never shy away from the pending issues in our relations with candidate countries.
We should also spare no effort in trying to resolve them in time. When candidate countries negotiate with the European Union, they should only hear one voice by the European Union.
And to that end, we want to reinforce political dialogue with Latvia at every stage, and on every issue. We want to thoroughly explain our positions, win Latvia’s support and deepen our relationship, both at the bilateral level and in the European Union and NATO, where we are close partners and allies.
So in this respect, I think we have concluded and decided to embark on a new path of close cooperation on all levels between Greece and Latvia.
Maris, I would like to thank you once again for your warm hospitality, and I am confident that this is the beginning of a new era of close cooperation between our two countries.
I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you and the people of Latvia all the best for the New Year. And once again I am awaiting and expecting you as soon as possible also to Athens. Thank you very much again.
MR. M. RIEKSTINS: Thank you. So any questions?
QUESTION: I have a question to the Greek Foreign Minister. In your opinion, is your government going to solve the crisis in your country?
MR. D. DROUTSAS: Greece is facing a challenging period, and this is something that the new Greek government and also the Greek people are fully aware of. And this new Greek government has embarked on a very serious path of efforts to bring Greece’s economy into the right order and direction.
And in this respect, from the very first moment the government and Prime Minister Papandreou have put forward very concrete proposals and measures in this respect, which will very soon bear the necessary fruits and will show again to the whole international community the real image and face of Greece, which for us is the image that Greece had shown to the whole of the international community in the past, especially the image, the face of Greece of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
Let me take this opportunity of saying in very clear terms: This is the image and the true face of Greece, and the Greek people and the Greek government are doing whatever is necessary to bring Greece again back to the path and present again this image of Greece, with very concrete measures for structural reforms in Greece, not only measures that will bring results immediately. But what we think is that our country needs structural reforms that will have also medium- and long-term effects for Greece and of course Greece’s economy.
QUESTION: Next week you have to submit your economic plan. What is included in this stabilisation plan?
MR. D. DROUTSAS: I am the Alternate Foreign Minister of Greece, and not the Greek Minister of Economy, so the details will be very soon presented. But you can be sure that this plan that will be presented by Greece is a very serious plan, with all the necessary measures.
And as I said, our aim is to bring structural reforms for Greece that will allow for Greece to have, also in the medium and long term, a very stable and prosperous economy.
QUESTION: You were saying that… (microphone problems) without it in the EU. Are you saying that at some point Greece might need to ask for financial aid from the Euro zone, and that’s the kind of solidarity that you are looking for?
MR. D. DROUTSAS: When I am referring to solidarity in the European Union, I am referring to one of the core principles and values that characterise the European Union and the cooperation among member states. And this counts first and foremost on the overall political level, where we think that really the European Union should once again concentrate, and I would also use the word ‘revive,’ this notion of solidarity among member states.
As I pointed out before, the whole international community is facing challenging times, and the European Union can play a very decisive role also in overcoming these challenges on the international level, too.
And here also the notion of solidarity between EU member states on all levels is something very important, I would say.
QUESTION: You spoke about the common opinions with Latvia on certain issues. But maybe there are some differences. So the first question is about differences in position of Latvia and Greece on certain issues in foreign policy.
And the next question is also about Turkish perspectives for accession to the European Union. So this was the question for the guest.
MR. D. DROUTSAS: Very easy to answer. I didn’t notice any kind of differences in our approach and views on all the issues we have discussed, and as I pointed out before, this is, I think, also testimony of the excellent relations our two countries have, and what makes us also believe that a close cooperation, an even closer cooperation, between our two countries in the future is something very important that we both can rely upon.
Regarding Turkey and the European accession process of Turkey, I think it is well known that Greece was the country that, back in 1999, initiated this European accession process of Turkey, and this is a policy the Greek government is still believing in. So we are fully supporting, we continue to fully support Turkey’s EU accession process. We also support a full membership of Turkey in the European Union.
But we have also to be very clear that there are rules within the European Union. There are conditions for the European Union accession. There are commitments by Turkey vis-à-vis the European Union and all EU member states that Turkey must abide by. Turkey must fulfil all these commitments in order to become a full member of the European Union.
This is something we have to be very clear about. I think the message to Turkey must be yes to the prospect of full membership, but in parallel, at the same time, a very clear yes to the obligation of Turkey to fulfil all the obligations it has undertaken vis-à-vis the European Union and EU member states.
And here in this respect I am afraid I have to say that Turkey has still to do quite a lot of homework.
MR. M. RIEKSTINS: I would like to add on both questions. I didn’t notice any differences of opinion on the points we discussed in today’s meeting, but as regards Turkey we recognise a very significant role that Turkey plays in ensuring the stability in the region.
And in this context we look positively at the latest developments, as regards Turkish and Armenian relations and normalisation of these relations. We see very active Turkish involvement in the Middle East peace process solutions.
And I could also enumerate other aspects. But Latvia has always been open towards Turkish EU membership aspirations. But at the very beginning I also underlined that fulfilment of certain criteria is very important, both for a large country that has expressed the wish to access, or also a small country. So the approach has to be the same.
So the foreign ministers of the European Union countries have discussed have debated Turkey’s EU aspirations, and the new passage of negotiation has been opened regarding the environmental issues.
And at the same time it’s clear that there are a number of commitments that Turkey has not yet been able to meet. For instance, the implementation of the supplementary protocol to the Ankara Agreement.
And so the EU expects Turkey to meet its commitments, otherwise we can’t speak of rapid progress in accession negotiations.
So two more questions, and then we have to conclude.
QUESTION: You are both foreign ministers, and still which parts of your discussion today concern economic issues?
MR. M. RIEKSTINS: We have evaluated our economic cooperation between the countries, and we have assessed the results and we have recognised in our discussion today that to date the trade volumes between our countries, although I must say that Latvia enjoys a positive trade balance with Greece, but with regard to volumes we lag behind. And we are looking forward to companies in this region to become Latvia’s trade partners.
One of the stimulating factors for enhancement of economic relations is the air traffic, which is of a seasonal character of course, but then these airlines that connect both our capitals. Further negotiations should be needed between airlines to enhance this aspect, to bring this initiative forward.
Of course, we are not the only EU member states that are not really undergoing the most favourable situation in the economic sense, which makes of course people to try their capacity as businessmen.
Last year we have held a number of round table discussions here in the Foreign Ministry involving businessmen and also diplomatic representations from the region. So there is the interest of our business community in doing business with the region.
And on behalf of the government I can say that we could support businesses, but the final relation lies with the businessmen, whether to invest in a region or not.
The Foreign Minister of Greece is here a very short period of the new government, but nevertheless we encourage them to look at new opportunities of economic cooperation between our countries.
MR. D. DROUTSAS: I won't add much to what Maris said. Greece is, on the one hand, changing its structures and is putting emphasis on what we call the green economy, and putting emphasis also on issues like environmental protection, renewable sources of energy, all those issues, on the one hand.
On the other hand, Greece can, I think, be regarded as a focal point in the region of Southeastern Europe, and also a bridge to the Middle East. So all these are assets regarding Greece’s position, and also the economy.
And as already pointed out, we have discussed means and ways of enhancing our cooperation also in economic terms, and Latvia is most warmly welcome, all the economic players and entrepreneurs in Latvia, to come and also invest and cooperate with their Greek counterparts.
MR. M. RIEKSTINS: Of course I also want to mention tourism as one of the cooperation aspects. Greece is one of the favourite tourist destinations among the residents of Latvia. I don't have the latest figures, but for 2008 over 30,000 Latvian tourists visited Greece. That’s already one of the indicators.
QUESTION: The Union summit for the economic crisis, given the fact that Greece and some other European Union countries are facing some problems, what should be the priorities of the European Union?
MR. M. RIEKSTINS: I think that the European Union has adopted a number of measures during previous high-level meetings, previous summits.
When it comes to our region, I think that we made use of those decisions, for instance, by developing our infrastructure, specifically in the field of energy. This is one part of the package adopted last year at the level of the European Council.
I think that this ought to be on the agenda of the European leaders, to look into the possibility of how to give additional stimulus to national economies in different countries. As you know, Latvia right now is working actively with our international partners, IMF and also the European Union, in terms of stabilising our economy. We are satisfied with that cooperation, which goes with political blessings, so to say, from European leaders.
We think that this assistance programme which has been developed brings positive results. We are not talking any more about very dramatic scenarios when it comes to development of our economy.
I think when it comes to our national economic developments here, very important will be to see the results of the first two or three months, when it comes to revenues, whether the forecast made by the Ministry of Finance will correspond to the reality, whether we are fulfilling our programme, whether we are meeting the targets.
If not, then that will be a new situation. I am not going to speculate on that.
I think the need of the European Council and the leaders of the European Union at this particular moment is, from one hand, to look at the issues which are important, are having the same importance for all member states, but at the same time also to keep a focus on the situation in different countries, having different reasons and different background.
So to have a kind of balance between the European approach at the same time with a kind of national approach, when it comes to some particular issues. So that would be my advice, but actually it is not up to me to give advice to the European Council.
MR. D. DROUTSAS: May I just add one word to that? I think what is, from our point of view, very important, despite these challenging times the whole international community and of course also the European Union are being confronted with in economic terms, as the European Union we should not forget also about the social aspects. And the protection of social rights, things like solidarity, to use again this word, with those parts of our societies that suffer more, is something that we have to take very seriously into account. The fight against unemployment, which is also, in the area of the European Union, something that we have to take very seriously.
All those things should not be underestimated and should not be forgotten about, when we are talking about how the European Union is going to tackle the international financial crisis. Thank you.
MR. M. RIEKSTINS: OK, thank you very much.