The Minister of National Defence Dimitris Avramopoulos accompanies the President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias on his official visit to Albania.
In the context of the President’s visit, Mr. Avramopoulos met his Albanian counterpart Mimi Kodheli who will soon pay an official visit to our country.
The Minister of National Defence addressed the Financial Conference “Hellenic – Albanian Economic and Energy Roundtable” on behalf of the Greek government.
The minister made the following statement:
“Mr. President of the Republic of Albania,
Mr. President of the Hellenic Republic,
Mr. Deputy Prime-Minister of the government of Albania,
Dear colleagues, Ministers,
Ambassadors,
Ladies and gentlemen,
As a representative of the Greek government and Greece’s Prime Minister in this significant mission, along with my colleagues, the Minister of Education, Mr. Arvanitopoulos, the Minister of Energy, Mr. Maniatis and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr.Gerontopoulos, I wish, first of all, to congratulate everybody who worked to organize this meeting which is combined with the visit of the President of the Hellenic republic, Mr. Papoulias, in the most typical manner.
A visit which marks a true milestone, which opens new perspectives in our bilateral relations and new ways of understanding, cooperation and development between enterprises and entrepreneurs of Albania and Greece.
It is time for us now to take action and meet this historical need.
Greece and Albania are not connected only by historical ties. I remind you that we are the oldest peoples in the wider region of Southeastern Europe. And we know each other well during twenty five hundred years. Our countries are united at this moment mostly by our common European destiny.
It is this essential discovery that starts any discussion about enlarging, enhancing and deepening our relations in all fields.
About enhancing our bilateral financial and commercial cooperation.
The geopolitical position of Greece since several decades is firm and consistent as far as the cooperation among Southeastern Europe’s states is concerned.
We believe in stability and cooperation as geopolitical values to support our efforts, our common struggle for progress and prosperity. Only if we achieve this, all negative effects that have remained from the past, as well as the stereotypes of another age will be over.
It is through our cooperation that we managed to ensure the construction of the TAP. And I am pleased to see, among us, Mr. Panariti, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania. With him, contrary to that time’s expectations, we attained what has now become a real example of the cooperation we are mentioning.
We ignored the negative forecasts and hesitations and we looked ahead. And if there’s a message that should come out from this important visit of the President of the Republic to Albania, this message is that it is the future that guides us.
Moreover, we accept the rules of the International Law as a means to solve any problems may arise among the nations of our region.
We actively promote the accession of our region’s nations to the United Europe and the dissemination and consolidation of European principles and values within the administration of our states for the respect of human, civil and social rights.
We promote the dissemination and consolidation of the European code of values for the respect of the rules of good neighbourhood.
Greece was the first country to contemplate the accession of Southeastern Europe to European structures of cooperation and worked hard for it.
A Southeastern Europe that will leave its Balkan past behind.
A Southeastern Europe where anti-democratic attitudes and behaviours, nationalism and irredentism will no more exist.
A Southeastern Europe where cooperation will not be restricted by national borders.
This is, in my opinion, ladies and gentlemen, the essential direction of Greek-Albanian relations.
Europe offers Albania a space for sustainable progress and development.
And I would like to stress the word sustainable.
On this basis, we can achieve a lot together, in a spirit of mutual respect and, mostly, confidence.
We can create a united, wider space for growth to the benefit of both countries.
A united space for growth which will offer new opportunities for attracting investments for both countries.
We can create synergies in the field of tourism, by conveying valuable know-how.
We can cooperate to modernize infrastructures, transportations and telecommunications.
We can, above all, within the European space, to ensure that our cooperation will contribute to the sustainable growth of our economies.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Greece, after many sacrifices and a long recession period, is very close to returning to growth.
Energy, transportations, shipping economy, tourism, primary sector and industry, cultural economy are the pillars of the new Greek growth model.
Albania also experiences a new period of structural and institutional shifts and reforms, in view to its accession to the European family. As the President of the Hellenic Republic has stated many times, Greece will stand at its side in this effort, towards this direction and progress of Albania.
Never before in history were the things that unite us as many as today.
A new era emerges in which everything will depend on how capable we are of getting, conceiving the messages of our age and create new relations between us. Relations based on development, cooperation, good neighbourhood, interdependence, prosperity and progress.
Always for our common future, the common future of our peoples.
Thank you very much».