Greece, in absolute cooperation with France, will move forward with the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection project in the coming period, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said in an interview with the expatriate radio station Cosmos FM.
“Within its remit, Greece will license the project and issue the necessary NAVTEX for the survey and laying of the cable. The European Union is monitoring the progress of this project. Whatever is required from the Greek, French and European side will be done,” he underlined.
As he stressed, “it is inconceivable for a European project to be obstructed, especially by a country which aspires at some point to become a member of the European Union. It is absolutely self-evident that the rules of European law must be applied and no discounts with regard to these rules are conceivable.”
He also recalled that the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnection is a Project of Common European Interest and that it is not only Greece and France that are co-owners of this project, but also the EU itself, which partly finances it.
Moreover, the project “lifts the energy isolation of a member state of the European Union, Cyprus. Therefore, by definition, it also strengthens the resilience of the European energy market, but of course also the interconnectivity of the energy market.” “According to International Law, electrical interconnections of this type are free and cannot be obstructed by any country,” he stressed characteristically.
Regarding Greece-Turkey relations, he pointed out that “Greece’s position is longstanding, stable and maintains our national positions.” He noted that we are in favor of diplomacy, productive dialogue and that is why in 2023 we agreed to start a new form of structured dialogue, with pillars, with timetables, with accountability, with responsibility.
“And indeed, over the last three years, without tensions disappearing, which are produced by the underlying cause, namely the non-delimitation of the continental shelf and exclusive economic zone, we have managed not to have major crises in the field.” “We insist on this position that the channels of communication must remain open,” he noted and added that “for this to happen, both sides must remain faithful to the basic rules of the game.”
“And the basic rules of the game are none other than the common conviction in the universal application of International Law. It is self-evident that faits accomplis cannot be tolerated, that our national positions must be respected. Turkey is obviously a strong country in the wider region. This does not negate the fact that whatever differences we have should be resolved on the basis of rules and not on the basis of power projection.”
“In the last three years that we have set in motion a functional relationship with Turkey, Greece’s position in the world has developed tremendously. Greece is now an extremely strong country in the world,” he stressed.
He pointed out that “dialogue with Turkey is necessary,” since “geography is a given.” “On the other hand, both of us must commit not only to mild tones, but also in the field to be absolutely cohesive with regard to the application of International Law. International Law either applies universally or it does not exist.”
“Greece at the forefront of global diplomacy”
The Foreign Minister noted that in this very critical period, amid multiple armed conflicts, “Greece is at the forefront of global diplomacy.”
“We are an elected member of the Security Council, we are assuming the presidency at the most complex moment. And this is because, beyond the crises that we will be called upon to manage, we have a series of crucial events that the Greek presidency chose to put forward, such as freedom of navigation, as well as the protection of women and children in armed conflicts.”
At the same time, he noted, we are also preparing for the presidency of the Council of the European Union, in 2027, in the second half. Therefore, the responsibilities and competences for Greek diplomacy are multiple.
During his stay in New York, he had multiple bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from all over the world. He referred to his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Iran, where I raised the issue of freedom of navigation. “Not only because Greece is the leading power in global shipping, but also because freedom of navigation and the safety of navigation in the Gulf region are essential components for energy sufficiency in the world, but also for food sufficiency. Otherwise, we will have significant price increases.”
He also met the foreign ministers of India and Brazil, foreign ministers from Africa, of Somalia and Eritrea, from Asia, of Kyrgyzstan, from all over the world, while he placed particular emphasis on the meetings I had with foreign ministers from the Global South, which is also the emerging power.
He noted that it is important for Greece to capitalize on its presence on the Security Council. “At this moment international multilateralism and International Law are in decline. The law of the strong seems to prevail. Greece, from the position assigned to it on the global stage, has a very strong voice in its own right, while we also express the countries that are not currently on the Security Council.” “This voice of ours is multiplied when we express the enduring principles of International Law, of the power of international organizations, against acts that are unilateral in nature, that create negative faits accomplis, that change a status quo for the worse.”
He also referred to the trilateral meetings he had together with the Cypriot Foreign Minister with the ministers of Jordan and Egypt, while he had meetings with counterparts from the Arab world. “Greece is a global pillar of strength, it is a strong voice of international law, with stability, with faith in the values of international multilateralism. We are developing our alliances, which multiply our strength and our footprint.”
He noted that Greece is assuming the presidency of the Security Council at a very critical moment for the global security architecture. The actions concerning the management of the major open fronts in Ukraine, the wider Middle East and Africa will have a primary role. But, he added, “we will also have responsibility for important events that are taking place in the world today, such as the situation in Haiti, Western Sahara, Colombia and elsewhere in the world.”
Furthermore, the role of the presidency is extremely critical in the process of selecting the new Secretary-General. “For us it is very important that there be a Secretary-General who will have the specific weight but also the will to proceed with major reforms, to strengthen international multilateralism, to contribute to the consolidation of the rules of International Law against power, to give primary importance, as Secretary-General Guterres did in any case, to the issue of Cyprus and its resolution on the basis of the resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations.”
The Foreign Minister, sending a message to the Greek diaspora, noted that they should be proud of the homeland that is at the forefront of global diplomacy. “We always ensure that Greece grows, becomes stronger and that its voice has resonance throughout the world. Greeks everywhere on earth should have self-confidence, should have pride in their homeland, should keep their ties with the motherland alive.”
He pointed out that the Greek state constantly takes care to strengthen the ties, the bridges with our diaspora. “A huge institutional step has already been taken to bridge any political gap that may exist, with the possibility of voting by mail or in person at Greek diplomatic missions.” “We want each and every one of the Greeks of the diaspora to also be an ambassador of our homeland”, he concluded.