Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Chountis made the following statement following the working luncheon he hosted for French Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Désir:
“I thank the French Secretary of State for visiting Greece and the Foreign Ministry, where he also met with Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias.
I stressed to Secretary Desir the Greek government’s resolve to confront the humanitarian crisis and to work for the development and recovery of society and the Greek economy. This is a commitment of our programme, always with respect for the rules of the European Union.
Europe’s development course is our common concern. Austerity policies cannot bring Europe out of the recession and unemployment.
We discussed the Juncker fund, and I noted that the Greek government’s position on this issue is that the social cohesion criteria must prevail.
We also discussed our bilateral relations, which are historically confirmed, and we emphasized educational and cultural issues, because it is our shared conviction that Europe is not just numbers and programmes, but values, ideals and visions.
We agreed that there are a number of issues on which our two countries can collaborate, and that there is room for even greater development of the traditionally close bilateral relations between Greece and France.”
February 25, 2015