Since the first day Kyriakos Mitsotakis took office, it was made clear that our goal was a foreign policy with a sense of patriotic responsibility and national unity, turning away from the self-pity of a “powerless” and “isolated” nation. We confidently proclaimed that Greece has a voice and a role to play in the region, as well as the ability to respond to any threat effectively, shaping a national strategy to face challenges.
In this light, we created alliances and a network of security and mutual understanding in the region, and further developed our bilateral strategic relationships with countries such as the USA, France and Israel. The signing of the updated MDCA with the USA, enlarging the US geostrategic footprint’ in Greece, the visit of my counterpart, Mr Pompeo, to Athens, and his letter to the Prime Minister concerning our country's security where just a few of the milestones of our first year in government.
In the same spirit, we furthered our strategic cooperation with France, and our joint participation with my French counterpart, Mr Le Drian, from Paris, in the most recent meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, to discuss the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, is indicative of our two countries’ common outlook. Moreover, the signing of an agreement delimiting maritime zones with Italy is further evidence of an active foreign policy in practice, guided by a clear strategy and based on International Law and the Law of the Sea.
At the same time, we reinforced the existing trilateral cooperation mechanisms in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf region, through the creation of a five-sided mechanism consisting of Greece, Egypt, Cyprus, France and the UAE, and cultivated policies of a shared outlook with important countries in the region.
We reinvigorated our relationships in Northern Africa: I visited Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, methodically shaping an important network of mutual understanding on the Libya issue. We underlined the fact that Turkey's involvement in the Libyan crisis and the null-and-void ‘memorandum’ signed with the Tripoli government, in breach of International Law and UN resolutions, is a concern for all countries in the region. In this direction, we established an effective channel of communication with the leadership of the Libyan House of Representatives and the LNA. We also promoted the accession of the Western Balkans — under the conditionality established — with Greece playing a leading part and organising the Thessaloniki Summit 2020. Additionally, Greece returned to multilateral diplomacy, participating for the first time in important European initiatives beyond our region, such as in the Sahel.
We will continue practising proactive diplomacy, aiming at strengthening our strategic and defence partnerships, improving relations with countries in the region (and holding talks on various matters, including delimiting maritime zones with Egypt and the Libyan House of Representatives), and actively participating in international initiatives, such as the resolution of the Libyan and Syrian issues. We are systematically cultivating our contacts with the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council while enlarging our country's diplomatic presence through the targeted opening of new embassies.
Every day, we prove that we believe in a extrovert Greece that is a powerful ally and partner– a Greece that self-confidently faces every kind of challenge with aplomb.
July 5, 2020