As Europe invests in its potential as a geopolitical player, Greece has significant advantages to bring to the table both with its strong defensive position and with its capabilities as energy world. This was emphasized by the Vice-President of the Commission, Margaritis Schoinaswho inaugurated the first Greek House in Davos in the presence of major international investors, the Minister of Development and Investment, Adonis Georgiadis and the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Giannis Plakiotakis.
Mr. Schoinas referred to challenges facing the EU from the pandemic and the instrumentalization of migrants to the war in Ukraine and developments in energy.
«In this unfavorable landscape, we are witnessing the birth of a geopolitical Europe, which is slowly but surely taking more and more responsibility for its own security. No one can say that Europe has been on the sidelines for the last two and a half years. Our response was unprecedented in terms of its courage, strength and unity“, write down.
He also pointed out that “from one pandemic which occurs once a century until new hybrid threats in the form of the instrumentalization of migration and the return of war on our doorstep, we have faced and continue to face formidable challenges at the heart of the nation-state’s role of protecting its citizens. And Europe – with Greece playing a central role – has broken the taboos of decades to offer bold, convincing solutions to these challenges. Unlike other vaccine-producing countries, we have not sought to exploit vaccine sharing with global partners for geopolitical gain. Some may call this approach naive. I prefer to use it as an example of a core value that the Union stands for in this new geopolitical context: Solidarity».
The Vice President of the European Commission stated that “Another example is the creation of the EU digital certificate for COVID in just a few months, following a proposal by the Greek Prime Minister, which not only allowed travel to be safely reopened during the pandemic, but became the standard they followed. more than 60 countries worldwide. This underscores another key value that the Union wants to uphold: Openness to the world».
«Another challenge in which I personally participated was the repeated instrumentalization of migrants, first by Turkey and then by Belarus, as a tool of geopolitical pressure against Europe. Once again, Europe has responded with stability and conviction, working with Greece and the front-line member states in Eastern Europe to take the necessary steps to counter this hybrid threat, from temporary border closure to close co-operation. with third countries to stop the movement of migrants to Europe via Belarus“, Added Mr. Schoinas, emphasizing at the same time that”Europe welcomes legal migration and appreciates the contribution of migrants to our economy and society. But Europe will not tolerate the threat or use of innocent people as geopolitical pawns».
He also noted that geopolitically the most frightening challenge is unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine and the return to war on European soil. Regarding the proposal for ban on the import of Russian oilstated that “we know this is a big, painful step. Our goal is to do it gradually by the end of the year, in a way that will allow us to secure alternative supply routes and minimize the impact on the European and global market». The Vice-President of the Commission pointed out that “The European Strategy Compass for stronger security and defense, to which Greece has actively contributed, reflects a common understanding of the threats we face and the priorities for the future». Regarding the energyargued that “We will invest aggressively in our energy infrastructure, both in Europe and with like-minded partners, and we will develop a common procurement mechanism so that Member States do not compete with each other.».
«Greece will be a key player in all these developments. As the Prime Minister stressed in his historic speech at the Joint Session of the US Congress last week, Greece categorically supported a strong European stance in Ukraine. From acting as a shield for Europe in hybrid attacks to providing aid and weapons to Ukraine and hosting Ukrainian refugees, Greece is already a key contributor to European public affairs.“, Concluded Mr. Schoinas.
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