M. Varvitsiotis: If Turkey wants to improve its relations with the EU, it needs to comply with the rules of International Law
“Europe is firm in its commitment to its values and to the Rule of Law, defending International Law; that is our message to Ankara,” Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis stressed in his welcome speech today at the International Online Conference “Strong V4 in a Strong Europe,” which was moderated by journalist Alexia Tasouli and attended by the Ambassadors to Athens of the Visegrad Group countries (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic).
The event was hosted by the Delphi Economic Forum, on the initiative of the Polish presidency and marking the 30th anniversary of the creation of the V4 Group.
Responding to a question on the outlook in EU-Turkey relations, Mr. Varvitsiotis underscored that the country has distanced itself from Europe in recent years. In spite of the fact that Greece would welcome it as a European ally and key player, Turkey is currently moving further and further away from European values and becoming a worrisome neighbour.
He referred in particular to the systematic instrumentalisation of the migration issue by Turkey, recalling that last year’s attempt to create a rift in the EU failed, as “the whole of the European Union supported Greece and sent a clear message that instrumentalisation of the migration issue will not be tolerated.” He noted that he expects the European Council to act in a similar spirit in March, when it is to take up EU-Turkey relations anew. He said that the Council should send the message that Turkey will have to comply with the rules of International Law if it truly wants to improve its relations with the EU.
The Alternate Minister pointed out that “Europe is now stronger than ever before,” as the past year brought multiple crises that it responded to in a coordinated manner. Regarding the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that “from the outset, there was extensive cooperation between the European Union and the member states to respond to the immediate threat of the pandemic. We have a coordinated policy and central allocation of vaccinations, and this is why we will have a more than adequate supply of vaccines in the coming months. Furthermore, he added, Europe has all the necessary tools to build the economic recovery following the pandemic.” He stressed that the decision to create the €750 billion recovery fund, in combination with the €1.1 trillion MFF, was “an unprecedented move of solidarity and coordinated response to the economic challenges of the crisis,” in the context of which Greece worked closely with the Visegrad countries. Regarding the issue of the Rule of Law, Mr. Varvitsiotis pointed to the new tools and mechanisms that have been introduced in the framework of the EU to consolidate a common culture for the Rule of Law among the member states.
Lastly, he made a special reference to the role shared by Greece and the Visegrad countries – allies in NATO and the EU – who, in different regions of the EU, “must defend Europe’s values on the borders and defend the borders themselves.” The Alternate Minister highlighted the shared position of Greece and the Visegrad countries on the promotion of the accession of the Western Balkans to the European Union.
February 15, 2021