JOURNALIST: Minister, you just came from an EU-GCC meeting in Oman. You held discussions with Arab officials. What was the most important point of discussion?
G. GERAPETRITIS: We participated in a summit between the EU and the GCC countries with a very broad agenda. We discussed climate change, broader regional issues, and global concerns.
Unfortunately, this summit took place under very adverse circumstances, because of the alarming situation in the Middle East. Obviously, we had the opportunity to discuss how we could mitigate the crisis and its consequences.
The truth is that we are very concerned with the possible spill-over effects and the humanitarian consequences of this situation. I had the opportunity to propose to the summit an action plan of five points in order to address the situation immediately:
First, we should unanimously agree that any form of violence, terrorism, or inhumane treatment is totally unacceptable.
Second, all abductees and hostages should be set free.
Third, we should ensure that there is no aggression against civilian targets.
Fourth, we must ensure that humanitarian corridors are established in order to relieve human suffering and that humanitarian aid is delivered to people in danger.
And fifth, I think we should organise and convene an extraordinary Summit with the participation of the involved parties and also with the representatives from the EU, the Arab League, and the United Nations in order to address the root causes of this problem.
It is a very difficult situation and we are very concerned. I think there must be a joint effort both from Europe and from the Gulf countries in order to set up a sustainable solution for the problem.
JOURNALIST: How do you see the role of Greece in the region?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Greece is a member of the EU, a very stable and prosperous country.
I think we could be of great assistance to all Gulf countries, and we aspire to become the voice and the entry point of those countries to the EU and the world. There are a lot of projects now in operation.
We think that Greece can provide valuable assistance, especially in the Middle East crisis. I had extensive talks with delegations from all countries of the Gulf, as well as phone conversations with the foreign ministers from Egypt and Jordan. We discussed about the situation. We need to coordinate our actions both against terrorists, but also against any sort of humanitarian crisis and address the causes producing this vicious cycle of violence.
JOURNALIST: How would you briefly describe the current state of relations between Greece and Türkiye and what progress has been made with Ankara, especially in what is known as the positive agenda between the two countries, concerning the facilitation of tourism, trade, etc.?
G. GERAPETRITIS: As you know, there have been ups and downs in the relationship between Greece and Türkiye. Geography has made us neighbours and we need to actually live with this situation. I think we can develop mutual respect for each other. The truth is that, in the last few years, we had a lot of tensions. There were many misunderstandings and we could not really develop a friendly and good neighbourly relationship.
Immediately after the elections in both countries, last May and June, the leaders of the two nations decided to try and further enhance our friendly relationship. They have already met twice. They met at Vilnius during the NATO Summit and also very recently in New York on the margins of the General Assembly of the United Nations. And now, we are planning to hold a High-Level Cooperation Council meeting in Thessaloniki with the two leaders and broad delegations.
What we really want to do is try and extend the period of calmness and tranquillity. In the last seven to eight months, there has been a calm situation in the Aegean Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. We really need to further enhance this prospect, because calmness is a precondition for the prosperity of the two nations.
We work very hard towards this goal and we have developed a rather strong relationship of frankness and openness with my Turkish counterpart. At the moment, we have embarked on a three-pillar process.
The first pillar is the political dialogue, which involves the basic issues of political nature.
The second pillar is the confidence-building measures. And this pillar has to do with the issues concerning the military exercises in the broader region.
And the third is the positive agenda that you mentioned.
I think it is very important to work on projects of mutual interest and benefit, because this is going to further develop common understanding. Now, we are working in many fields. We work on tourist exchange, academic cooperation, exchanges in the field of technology and innovation, and obviously on civil protection.
As you know, we had a terrible summer in the Mediterranean with extreme climate phenomena. We had very extensive wildfires throughout the Mediterranean in most countries and then we had very extensive floods. There is an intense climate crisis that we need to address. And I think, exactly because it is a global issue, one country alone cannot treat it effectively. So, we are working with our neighbours in order to try and mitigate its consequences.
JOURNALIST: How can you address the issue of migration in Greek-Turkish relations?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Migration is a global issue, and unfortunately, the more regional and global tensions we have, the more migration waves we will encounter with people desperately trying to flee conflicts and wars. We need to work on mitigating the actual root causes of these migration waves to the extent that we can develop such policies. For example, we should develop regional and global cooperation to prevent hostility and introduce policies to reinforce social cohesion in order to mitigate social inequalities.
Türkiye has assumed a significant burden, especially because of the war in Syria. The same happens in Greece. We have hosted a huge number of migrants and refugees in the last few years from all regional countries. The truth is that there was a joint statement between the EU and Türkiye in 2016. This statement has not worked effectively, so we are trying to revive it now. There is a common understanding that we need to implement further measures against irregular migration and to allow for some legal pathways of migration. Thus, what we really need to work on with Türkiye now, is to try and have more effective border surveillance and to work on returns of irregular migrants. It is also crucial to try and establish legal pathways for those in need of humanitarian assistance with the cooperation of the EU.
JOURNALIST: Many analysts and politicians say that the conflict between the two countries is related to the Cyprus dispute on the one hand and regional competition on the other. Is there a possible comprehensive solution to normalise relations between the two countries?
G. GERAPETRITIS: We do not see Türkiye as a competitor, neither regional, nor global. We are neighbours. We have to work together in many respects. And I think it is much better to work together instead of developing hostility and divergences. On the issue of Cyprus, what I have to say is that Greece insists upon the full implementation of the resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations on a bi-zonal and bi-communal federal state in Cyprus. For us, the most important aspect is the resumption of talks. It is very important to have a meaningful and constructive dialogue in order to produce a sustainable solution. Obviously, for us, the idea of having two states is a non-starter, essentially because it goes against the Resolutions of the United Nations, but also because it does not reflect a state-of-the-art solution. People should live together and not against each other.
JOURNALIST: Greece, Israel, and Cyprus have agreed to examine the possibility of joint gas exports, according to a statement in Tel Aviv. What about your cooperation with Egypt regarding the maritime border area?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Both Israel and Egypt are our strategic partners. We have signed a series of bilateral agreements. We are at the best point of our relationship in years and we really hope that we can further enhance this cooperation and coordination. Now, when it comes to energy cooperation, I have to tell you that we developed energy synergies with both countries, the Euro-Asia Interconnector with Israel and Cyprus and the GREGY project with Egypt, which is chosen as one of the main projects of Common Interest within the EU. What we really aspire to do is to become an energy hub for the Arab world and the Middle East in general. I think our location and the stability of our government suggest that Greece is the perfect entry point to the European Union for the countries of North Africa, the Middle East, and the Arab world and we will further develop these links. Now, we are working on having a very strong relationship with India and the UAE in the context of the trade and the economic corridor that was decided in the G20 Summit. Greece aspires to become the hub for all those projects. We are proud to say that we do serve as an energy hub, promoting stability and prosperity in the region.
JOURNALIST: What are the key plans you are working on in the near future with Saudi Arabia, the GCC, and other Gulf nations?
G. GERAPETRITIS: We are working with all GCC countries. I had the opportunity to personally meet with all the delegations during the Muscat Summit. We decided to further enhance our cooperation and our good relationship, with Saudi Arabia, whose Minister of Foreign Affairs I met yesterday. We had a very extensive discussion. It is of great importance for us to develop bridges with the Gulf countries. In particular, with Saudi Arabia, we have decided to develop an energy partnership and to this end, we signed a very important MOU with the National Grid of Saudi Arabia. It is a mega project. We all know that the Gulf countries have developed innovative modern forms of energy, including hydrogen, and other forms of green energy.
What we really desire is to work on all renewable energy sources with those countries. This is a priority for us. I have to tell you that it is a key strategy for Greece to further develop all forms of sustainable energy sources. In Greece, in the last few months, more than 50% of renewable energy sources in the total energy mix come from the sun and wind. We share sun and wind with the Gulf countries, so we can definitely exchange know-how and further promote synergies.
I would like to conclude with this. It is important that we share common beliefs and common concepts with the Gulf countries. What we really think is that there must be peace and prosperity in the broader region. We need to develop further modes of cooperation. Most of the Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are working to mediate tensions across the Middle East, Libya, Yemen, and other parts of the world. So, we would like to play a role in the transition to peace and be the voice of the Gulf countries towards the EU and Europe.
JOURNALIST: Thank you very much.
G. GERAPETRITIS: Thank you.
October 18, 2023