Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, visited Stockholm, where he met with his counterpart, Minister for European Union Affairs Hans Dahlgren. At the meeting, they discussed issues concerning bilateral political and economic relations, as well as issues of European interest, with particular emphasis placed on Brexit, enlargement in the Western Balkans, as well as the drafting of the EU budget for the 2021-2027 period.
Mr Varvitsiotis proposed to his counterpart that Greece and Sweden undertake joint initiatives for the adoption of programmes, such as combating climate change and protecting the marine environment, as well as regional cooperation between Swedish and Greek islands. The goal of this initiative is to highlight prospects for cooperation between the North and the South of the EU.
During his visit, Mr Varvitsiotis also visited the SIEPS think-tank and met with its director, Göran von Sydow. A round table ensued, with the discussion focusing on issues related to his portfolio.
The Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs also met with the Chair and members of the Swedish Parliament's Committee on EU Affairs. Mr Varvitsiotis also met with representatives of the Greek community and discussed issues of concern to them, such as votes for diaspora Greeks. Finally, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs met and attended a working luncheon with representatives of Greek enterprises active in Sweden.
October 24, 2019