During a joint session of the Parliamentary Standing Committees on European Affairs and Defense & Foreign Affairs, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis presented the priorities of the Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe.
Specifically, Mr. Varvitsiotis emphasised that choosing the ‘protection of human life and effective management of a sanitary crisis with full respect for human rights’ as the Chairmanship’s central theme was deemed imperative following the unprecedented conditions created by the pandemic.
He noted that the Greek Chairmanship’s goal is the adoption of the ‘Athens Declaration’ on 4 November, marking a new framework of principles – a legacy for future generations – for protecting democracy, the rule of law and human rights in a time of crisis.
He also announced that, following a proposal from Dora Bakoyannis, in her capacity as Head of the Greek Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a scientific conference will be held in Athens this fall, under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Panagiotis Pikrammenos.
In his second intervention, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that the Greek Chairmanship wants to be a consensus-based and effective Chairmanship that brings all 47 member states to the table, leading to the adoption of the Athens Declaration.
Commenting on Greece's response to and handling of the pandemic, he stressed that “through respect for the triptych of Democracy-Human Rights-Rule of Law, Greece can project a political culture and, through that, create convergence.”
Finally, referring to Borrell’s visit to Evros today, the Alternate Minister underscored that Greece continues to build international alliances and request the practical assistance of the EU, sending the message that substantive and symbolic moves of this kind deter and marginalise Turkey’s aggressive policy.
The President of the Hellenic Parliament, Constantine Tassoulas, spoke on the functioning of Parliament during the sanitary crisis.
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Rik Daems, and the Director General of the Council of Europe’s Directorate General for Human Rights, Christos Giakoumopoulos, also participated, via videoconference.
June 24, 2020