D. AVRAMOPOULOS: It is with real pleasure that I welcome the Foreign Minister and my good friend Erato Kozakou-Markoullis to the Foreign Ministry today, following the previous meetings we had. Our talks with our friend Erato take place, as you know, in an excellent, warm, sincere and friendly climate.
As you would expect, we will first cover the Cyprus issue in detail. I want to make assurances once again of Greece’s undivided support for Cyprus. The end of the Turkish occupation and settlement, and the finding of a comprehensive and agreed solution to the Cyprus issue are top priorities of Greek foreign policy. Without the resolution of the Cyprus issue, there can be no full normalization of Greek-Turkish relations, and nor can Turkey complete its European course. We look forward to – and are doing everything possible in this direction – to reaching a just, viable and functional solution that is based on the UN resolutions and on European principles and values and the EU acquis. The negotiation process under the UN must continue, without being undermined by the Turkish side. Turkey, too, needs to contribute in this direction, leaving aside – abandoning – partition schemes. Erato and I will carry out a detailed review of our bilateral issues. We will also discuss in depth the developments in our wider region, and in the Middle East and Syria in Particular. As you know, last Thursday I was in Cairo with Erato, within the framework of an important mission carried out by the four Foreign Ministers of the EU countries that neighbour on Egypt: Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta. In Cairo we met with the Egyptian President, conveying the message of European Union solidarity and support during this critical transitional time in Egypt. We then participated together in the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Paphos. It has been almost two months since Cyprus assumed the Presidency of the European Union, and the indications are clear and unquestionable: The Cypriot Presidency is a total success. It is successfully bringing about substantial movement on organization and, mainly, on the handling of vital issues the EU is dealing with. Turkey is making a mistake in not using the opportunity of the Cypriot Presidency and the discovery of natural gas in the Cypriot EEZ to normalize its relations with Cyprus and resolve the Cyprus issue. I believe that Ankara missed a really vital opportunity, undermining its own European course and affronting, in the end, the European Union itself and one of its most important institutions: the Presidency. At this time, The European Union is facing many issues vital to the future; issues that the Cypriot Presidency will have to handle in the coming time. Needless to say, Greece will continue to stand by the side of the Cypriot Presidency, as it has done so far. Erato, once again, a warm welcome. I won’t tell you to make yourself at home, because the Greek Foreign Ministry is your home. I welcome you again, and I wish you a pleasant stay in Athens. And in closing I would like to convey a heartfelt message of love, support and solidarity to our Cypriot sisters and brothers.E.
KOZAKOU-MARKOULLIS: My dear friend Dimitris, I would like to express my great satisfaction at this visit to Athens, which is in reciprocation of your visit to Cyprus on the 1st of July; a very significant visit, because it coincided with the Republic of Cyprus’s assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.It is a particular pleasure to be in Athens as the Foreign Minister of the Presiding country of the Council of the European Union, at a time when Cyprus is being called upon to effectively confront the major challenge of the intricate work of the Presidency, and just a few days after what we and all the Foreign Ministers who participated see as the successful informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers that we hosted in Cyprus on 7 and 8 September.I would like to thank you and the Greek government publicly for the assistance and support Greece is providing for the organization and carrying out of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union, via Greek experts working with us on the Cypriot Presidency, seconded from Greek state services. A big thank you.My presence here, at your kind invitation, is tangible proof of the close cooperation and coordination between the Foreign Ministries of Cyprus and Greece, the aim of which is the achievement of common goals on the bilateral and European levels. In this context, the ministry officials accompanying me have already begun their meetings and will continue their meetings with their Greek counterparts.Today, during our meetings – I am certain this will continue during our working luncheon – we had very productive and heartfelt talks in a very warm climate of sincerity, as always, and the shared outlook that characterizes the brotherly relations of Cyprus and Greece on issues concerning the priorities of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union, including enlargement and the developments in Western Balkan countries, most of which I visited this past July, and I briefed my dear friend Dimitris on the next steps the Cypriot Presidency will be taking.As expected, we exchanged views on the situation in Syria, expressing our serious concern at the loss, so far, of 27,000 lives – mainly civilians – and the huge humanitarian problem being created with the 300,000 people taking refuge in neighbouring countries. We also noted the ever increasing number of Syrian refugees arriving on the coasts of the Eastern Mediterranean, and we looked at ways of managing this problem jointly: Cyprus and Greece and the European Union.We talked more generally about developments in the southern neighbourhood, and we carried out a review, as Dimitris said, of our joint visit to Egypt, together with our colleagues from Malta and Italy, last week, when we all met together with the new President of Egypt. It was a very important initiative aimed at conveying to President Morsy a strong message of support, not only from our four countries, which are linked to Egypt by longstanding ties of friendship and cooperation, but also a strong message of support from the European Union itself.We also exchanged views on EU-Turkish issues, with the focus on Turkey’s escalating provocations and persistence in refusing to cooperate with the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union.I also had the opportunity to brief Dimitris on the stagnation in the Cyprus issue, despite the ongoing efforts of the President of the Republic, Demetris Christofias, and we also discussed issues bearing on exploration of the Cypriot EEZ and Turkey’s unacceptable threats against Cypriot activities for the extraction of hydrocarbons, based on our sovereign rights.We of course discussed the economic crisis in the eurozone and ways to handle its repercussions for our countries’ economies, and I had the opportunity to brief my Greek counterpart on the recent actions of the Cypriot government. But I would also like to hear about the recent visit from the President of the European Council, Mr. Van Rompuy, and I am sure we will look at these issues as our meeting continues.I would like once again to thank you for this opportunity to be here today at the Foreign Ministry and have this opportunity to continue this dialogue and coordinate our actions in the coming months, ahead of the UN General Assembly, ahead of the very important General Affairs Council this coming December, and also in view of the Cypriot Presidency throughout these six months, during which we will be debating very serious issues, and coordination between the two governments is vital. So, I thank you for this opportunity to continue this dialogue.Thank you very much, Dimitris.
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: Thank you very much. Allow me, before we close, given that Erato referred in detail to the Syria issue, to note that the situation as it is developing is very worrying, and it is of course an issue that we will discuss today and that we looked at in particular during our joint mission to Egypt.Unfortunately, we are daily witnessing the harsh, blind violence that is taking on very dangerous dimensions, which now has the dimensions of a civil war, and that has, as you know, caused many civilian casualties. Our position is that a return to normalcy and a solution can come only through a political process, in which the opposing sides must participate, and which will allow the Syrian people to express themselves and determine their future. There needs to be an immediate ceasefire and the opening of a dialogue among all the components of Syrian society. It is now a shared conviction among the partners that the voluntary withdrawal of Assad is necessary for the opening of a political process for the country’s transition to a new era.There is an equally urgent need to confront the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the refugee issue. The international organizations need to have access to civilians and internally displaces people in order to provide them with necessities: food, water, medical assistance. There is also a need to support Syria’s neighbours, to which tens of thousands of refugees have already fled.Protection of religious minorities, and specifically the Christian population of Syria – and we say this with particular emphasis – must be placed at the epicenter of peacemaking efforts in Syria. This is an issue that I have stressed in my meetings, and I remind you that we made special note of it in the Hellenic Parliament, as well as during the contacts we have had in recent days in the wider region.Finally, as the European Union we must prepare to handle a likely increase in migration currents toward the European space. Erato has done a great job in this area, as the current Presidency, and Cyprus and Greece are on the front line, we are coordinating our actions and taking the necessary measures.But this is an issue that concerns European integration, and that is why a European response is required, depending on the developments, and I think that the coming initiatives of the Cypriot Presidency will move in this direction.Once again I would like to thank Erato with all my heart for the excellent communication we have maintained all this time, and to invite her to visit Greece again. And of course we will arrange to meet again, after the talks we have, whether in Cyprus or in Greece …
E. KOZAKOU-MARKOULLIS: In New York City.
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: … or in New York City, a few days from now. Again, I welcome her and thank her very much.
JOURNALIST: Though you mentioned Turkey’s provocations in your statements, I would like to ask both of you what you will do to deal with Ankara’s provocations in not recognizing the Cypriot Presidency.
E. KOZAKOU-MARKOULLIS: A lot has been done so far. As you know, last December the European Council, on the level of the President of the European Council, as well as the heads of state and government who participated, sent a very strong message to Turkey: that its flouting of and refusal to work with the Cypriot Presidency is unacceptable. And Turkey was urged to cooperate with the institutions of the European Union, as provided for in the treaties.I can tell you that this message is being sent constantly by all the institutional organs. It has been sent publicly by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Parliament and the High Representative for Foreign Policy. It has been sent by everyone – by the Presidents of all the European Parliamentary Groups, who came to Cyprus recently, and by all the governments of the European Union. This is unacceptable conduct directed at the European Union itself, not just against the Republic of Cyprus. It is an affront to the European Union itself, and this will certainly have consequences for Turkey’s accession course. A candidate country that wants to join an organizations, a union, like the European Union, cannot snub in this way one of the most important institutions of the European Union: the Council of the European Union.Our efforts and those of the member states and EU officials are continuing, but, unfortunately, Turkey stubbornly persists in this unacceptable conduct. I can say that we have invited Turkey to all the meetings we invite candidate countries to. A few days ago, there was a meeting of EU Secretaries General for European Affairs. Turkey was invited, but chose not to come. But its seat was there, with Turkey’s name on it, but Turkey chose not to come to Cyprus. Unfortunately, Turkey needs to realize the damage is not being done to the Republic of Cyprus or the Cypriot Presidency, but to Turkey itself as a candidate country.
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: I’ll just add to what Erato said. Europe exists thanks to its institutions, its values and its acquis. The guardians of the European acquis are the European institutions themselves. A country’s not recognizing these institutions is an act of disrespect, especially when that country is trying to become a member of this great family.You know that from the very outset Greece has had a very clear position: We are in favor of Turkey’s European perspective, but above all Turkey itself needs to show, on a daily basis and in practice, its respect for European institutions.In this instance, Turkey’s stance shows disrespect for European institutions, and this stance has been assessed as such not just by Greece and Cyprus, but by Europe as a whole.As I said in my opening comments, I would say that Turkey missed an opportunity, through the recognition of and – why not? – participation in the procedures provided for by a Presidency, to point up its European perspective and, mainly, to send a message that it really means – in practice – what it repeats every so often.But it seems that in Turkey – despite any changes taking place; changes that we hope will be productive in the country’s democratization, in the country’s European perspective – there are still strong poles of resistance that the government has not succeeded in overcoming.One message we are sending today is that we have changed nothing as regards our beliefs. On the other hand, however, we are members of the great European family, which is currently going through a difficult transitional period – Europe as a whole – but in no case can we accept that this weakness on the part of Europe can encourage those who question Europe to exploit these circumstances and maintain such a stance.Let’s hope that the minds of the decision-makers will change at some point and that they will show respect for the European institutions, because their aspiration, their goal, is – as I said earlier – to join the European family. But a precondition for this is respect for Europe’s principles, values and the European acquis, and of course for Europe’s institutions.