L. ZOCHIOU: Welcome to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to our first regular briefing of diplomatic correspondents. Extraordinary briefings will also be scheduled, if needed. We consider briefings useful, because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can thereby communicate its positions, initiatives and actions, while you can also receive information directly from the Ministry in a comprehensive manner. And, of course, they also offer the opportunity to clarify foreign policy issues that are sometimes difficult to comprehend.
September is the month of the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF). The Minister of Foreign Affairs will travel to Thessaloniki to visit the TIF. September is also the month of the United Nations General Assembly. It will be the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, taking place from 22-30 September.
Allow me to briefly refer to the most important developments during the month of August. Let me begin with the visit of the interim Minister for Foreign Affairs of Syria, Mr. Al‑Shaibani, on August 20. It was a constructive meeting and took place following the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. George Gerapetritis, to Damascus. Mr. Gerapetritis was among the first Ministers of Foreign Affairs to have traveled to Damascus after the fall of Assad’s regime. The Minister reiterated Greece’s longstanding position in favor of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He placed particular emphasis on the commitments the interim Syrian administration has undertaken on an inclusive governance that excludes no ethnic or religious community. He made special reference to Greece’s interest in the country’s religious communities and the need to maintain open communication channels with the Patriarchate of Antioch and with the Syrian administration. Finally, he underlined the importance of respecting the International Law of the Sea - UNCLOS - and the sovereign rights of neighboring states. Both sides expressed their will to promote regional cooperation. And I am referring to the Greece–Cyprus–Syria trilateral cooperation scheme, which will convene at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in New York, on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly.
Moving on to the visit of Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs to Athens on August 6. I would like to emphasize our strategic partnership with Egypt, upgraded in May 2025. The visit of Mr. Abdelatty offered an opportunity to explore ways of further strengthening our cooperation. As you very well know, in addition to the sectors in which we wish to deepen our cooperation - economy, trade, energy, migration - we are particularly interested in stability. We attach particular importance to Egypt as a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. We also closely cooperate with Egypt in the United Nations and regional organizations. Greece also supports Egypt’s positions within the EU.
Two issues have arisen with Egypt. As regards to the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai, I would like to reiterate Greece’s position and priority to ensure in perpetuity the Greek Orthodox character of the Monastery and its preservation as an active place of worship. The other issue - I can also refer you to our relevant statement - concerns Egypt’s note verbale in reaction to the Marine Spatial Planning announced by Greece in April 2025. It was an expected reaction by Egypt. It was communicated through standard diplomatic correspondence, that is, by note verbale. We deem it an expected reaction, since further delimitation of maritime zones between Greece and Egypt is still pending.
I would like to refer to three milestones of the active foreign policy that Greece is pursuing in line with International Law and the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. The three milestones are first, the depiction for the first time, on a map, of the Marine Spatial Planning. This took place on 16 April 2025. Greece thus fulfilled a substantive obligation under European legislation. The Marine Spatial Planning outlines the maritime areas within which maritime activities are allocated. We are aware of the reactions that this action triggered.
Second, the call for tenders for hydrocarbon exploration in two offshore blocks South of Crete and the publication of that tender in the Official Journal of the European Union, in accordance with the usual procedure, on June 12.
And the third milestone is the establishment of marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean Seas, on 21 July 2025. The establishment of the marine parks was based on purely environmental criteria and took place within the Greek Territorial Sea. The marine parks constitute the maritime extension of the already protected areas under the Natura 2000 network. All three actions triggered reactions by neighboring states. In all three cases Greece will deliver its response through diplomatic channels.
Let me proceed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ program for the period ahead. As I already mentioned, on September 5, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will visit the Thessaloniki International Fair. On Monday, September 8, he will meet with Mr. Belgasem Haftar, who will be visiting Athens. He is the Director-General of the Reconstruction and Development Fund of Libya, and he will have meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Theocharis. On the same day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will meet with the Director-General for Migration and Home Affairs of the European Commission, Ms. Gminder. On Monday, September 15, we will host the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Government of National Unity, Mr. Al Baour. From September 21 to 26, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be in New York. I am referring to the program of the High‑Level Week of the UN General Assembly, as it has been scheduled so far.
Regarding the Deputy Minister, Ms. Alexandra Papadopoulou, her schedule includes a meeting with the Minister for European Affairs of Serbia, on September 4. On September 10, Ms. Papadopoulou will attend a working lunch with the Ambassadors of Latin American countries. She will also be in New York for the UN General Assembly. Before New York she will travel to Washington, where she will have contacts at the State Department.
Deputy Minister, Mr. Theocharis, traveled to Slovenia on September 1. He participated in a forum on artificial intelligence, prosperity and competitiveness in Europe. On the sidelines of the forum he held meetings with the Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia and Poland. On September 8, Mr. Theocharis will meet with Mr. Belgasem Haftar in Athens and he will also travel to New York for the UN General Assembly.
Regarding the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Loverdos, you are aware of his recent trip to Istanbul. He has returned from Istanbul, where he participated in church services of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
At this point, let me conclude with the program of the UN General Assembly so far. As you understand, the fact that we will participate in the UN General Assembly as an elected member of the Security Council for the 2025 -2026 term, is of particular importance. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will have a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts. He will participate in the Transatlantic Dinner hosted by the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will participate in the EU Foreign Affairs Council, which will be held in New York. He will represent Greece at the International Conference on the Two‑State Solution co‑organised by France and Saudi Arabia. He will also meet with American‑Jewish organizations and members of the Greek Diaspora.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs will participate in a side event on maritime security. We will also participate in a Security Council discussion on artificial intelligence, under the Presidency of the Republic of Korea.
September 4, 2025