JOURNALIST: Question regarding the situation in Syria.
G. GERAPETRITIS: I had the opportunity to meet with the interim President and the Foreign Minister of Syria during my tour of the broader region.
I visited seven countries in seven days and eventually I went to Syria, to Damascus. Our idea is that we need to see a prosperous Syria. There has been a 13 year situation, an appalling situation in the past. The country is widely destructed.
What we need to do now is first of all to develop resilient institutions that would be inclusive. And that means that all ethnic and religious minorities should be included in the governance. Rule of law and fundamental human rights should be guaranteed for all citizens. And of course, international law, and especially International Law of the Sea should be safeguarded.
The truth is that at the moment there is a series of sanctions against Syria. We support that, in order for Syria to have a new prospect, we need to have a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned project of reconstruction. This is why we suggest that we need to have a relief of these sanctions. But that should take place mostly on a gradual basis. We need to see how it goes and then we need to have the relief of sanctions in a reversible manner.
It is of utmost importance that Europe, as well as the United States, are keeping a close eye on Syria. We need to encourage the new regime to stay close to international law. And this is why the international community should provide meaningful assistance.
JOURNALIST: Question regarding Greece-Türkiye relations.
G. GERAPETRITIS: We are concerned. The "blue homeland" doctrine is a doctrine that goes against international law. Greece has abided by international law and especially International Law of the Sea as of 1982. We are active members of the Convention for the International Law of the Sea. And we expect that the whole international community will adhere by this. The truth is that in the last couple of years there have been some steps towards normalizing our relationship. We have signed an agreement concerning good neighborly relations. We have coordinated when it comes to illegal migration.
We have also minimized the violations on the part of Türkiye of Greek airspace. There are some positive steps concerning mutual positive measures. On the other hand, there must be a major step concerning the delimitation of maritime zones. We're still not there yet, because in order to get there we need first of all to agree on the scope. And the scope can be no other than international law.
Once again, I have to emphasize the fact that Greece is a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the broader region.
JOURNALIST: Question regarding China and interconnectivity projects.
G. GERAPETRITIS: As regards China, it is our firm conviction that we need to develop also alternative cooperation, alternative routes through other major states. Greece has a strategic alliance with India and we are now discussing about the development of the new India-Middle East-Europe Corridor. This major plan is, I think, an excellent project in order to diversify the routes concerning transport, data and energy. So, I think it is important to have a foreign investment controlling mechanism, while at the same time we try to diversify our routes, to develop our regional synergies with other important states. And of course to try and develop a common stance.
JOURNALIST: Question regarding Greece-US relations.
G. GERAPETRITIS: We are very like-minded with the United States when it comes to foreign and security policy. So, what we need to do is to further enhance this relationship not only on the regional, but also on the global level.
March 11, 2025