In his interview today on Athens 984 Radio, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Openness Kostas Fragogiannis highlighted the great importance of the developments at the Informal Meeting of Trade Ministers, which is to take place this coming Monday in Berlin. On the one hand, as he said, because the discussion will focus on the European Union’s trade policy, which includes Turkey, as well as on the selection of a new Director-General of the World Trade Organization.
Specifically with regard to Turkey, ahead of the European Council meeting this coming Thursday, 24 September, Mr. Fragogiannis highlighted the importance of “the EU’s showing that it is united against anything that does not support the creation of a climate for exploratory talks.” He stressed that it is clear from the statements of European officials that “Turkey has a choice: to talk to Europe constructively and, by extension, talk to us, or to choose to continue its unilateral actions.”
“We hope Turkey chooses constructive dialogue,” he clarified, noting that “the appropriate climate now appears to be taking shape for us to be able to enter into such a series of exploratory talks.” “We have shown in practice that we have many and strong allies, that we are a peaceful country, and that we are ready to work together with all of our neighbours, including, obviously, Turkey” he added.
Referring in greater detail to Monday’s meeting of the Trade Council, where he along with the Secretary General for International Economic Affairs, Gregory Dimitriadis, will represent Greece, he underscored the importance of the selection of the new WTO Director-General, “because all civilized countries acknowledge the need for a strong World Trade Organization. Mainly because, as he said, it was observed that during the first phase of the pandemic almost every rule of trade, as established by the WTO, fell apart, resulting in the outbreak of a war to find medical supplies through procedures that went beyond legality, with everyone doing what they had to do to meet their needs. “Therefore,” the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed, “we have to make clear what is strategic for each country, which sectors of the economy need to be supported, how we can counter our dependency on distant manufacturers and suppliers, and under what rules world trade must be carried out. And he added: “The reality is that the World Trade Organization needs a leader who is in a position to put in place a new framework of rules that is acceptable to everyone. And this is what all of us, including Greece, are trying to do right now.”
Asked about the EU Recovery Fund, Mr. Fragogiannis explained that “on the EU level, what we talking about is strengthening European resilience, support for socio-economic recovery and growth following the pandemic, support for SMEs, the green transformation and sustainability of trade, digital transformation and technological development, and, finally, safeguarding fair and equal terms of competition.”
Responding to a question on pending economic issues with North Macedonia and regarding the recent meeting between prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Zoran Zaev, in which he participated, Mr. Fragogiannis referred to the very warm climate in the meeting, the Prespa Agreement roadmap, and how economic diplomacy can help. Stressing that Greece supports North Macedonia’s bid for EU membership, which our neighbours see and is important to them, the focus was on the bilateral relations between the two countries, noting that we are entering the stage of full implementation of the Prespa Agreement, which is something both sides will do. He underscored that the Greek side’s goal is to “deepen these bilateral relations, given that we have issues concerning specific Greek investments in North Macedonia, as well as energy issues.” “So we have a number of issues to talk about, and I think we will soon see a visit to North Macedonia,” he clarified.
He was also asked to provide a snapshot of the bilateral economic relations between Greece and North Macedonia. “Trade between the two countries currently stands around 750-780 million USD. We are the second largest trade partner in North Macedonia, with the UK being first. So we are an important player for them and their economy. The country’s GDP is about 10 or 11 billion USD. So, Greece is an important player, and this is something our neighbours recognize, and they look forward to more Greek investments. They look forward to and are asking for our greater involvement in the country’s economy. And this is important for us because we want to have a special relationship with North Macedonia, in the framework of good neighbourly relations.”
September 18, 2020