Greece: Remarks by HR/VP Josep Borrell after his meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

25.06.2020
Athens

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Thank you very much Prime Minister [of Greece] Kyriakos [Mitsotakis]. It is really a pleasure to be here, how not being in Athens? I had a wonderful morning today, accompanied by my friend, your Foreign Affairs Minister [Nikos Dendias].

It is a pleasure, an honor and a duty to be here, because you, in the last European Council, were very clear about the situation and we have also been very clear - I hope so - expressing European – more than solidarity - commitment together with Greece in order to protect your sovereignty, your external borders.

The external borders of a Member of the European Union are the external borders of the whole Union. We acted supporting and helping Greece on the last events and we will continue doing so.

I know that there are a lot of overflights - today a couple more - on the islands and even the mainland. We have this strong problem with the drilling, which affects your sovereignty. And I wanted to be here –well, it was foreseen that I should come, but after the European Council with more reasons- in order to express this commitment and support, but also at the same time - and I have been talking with your Foreign Affairs Minister - about the need of restablishing a minimum trust and dialogue with Turkey in order to stop this escalation.

Greece is maybe the Member State most interested in having a good relationship with Turkey and I think that we have to work together in order to fulfil this purpose and to go back to a certain normal –as we say now, a new normal, the old normal. And I think that if we can be of any help, believe me that I will be more than happy, because it is one of the most important commitments I have to fulfil, to improve the relationship with Turkey, to protect the rights and interests of the European Union - and for sure when I say European Union I mean Greece and Cyprus first of all.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-192445

Peter Stano
Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
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Zoi Muletier
Press Officer for Neighbourhood and Enlargement/Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
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