Mr. Mitsotakis underlined that the sanctions decided to be applied by all members are very important for substantive and symbolic reasons and reiterated that Greece stood by Ukraine from the first moment.
Prime Minister Kyriakos focused on the issues on the agenda of the NATO summit, highlighting the importance of the Alliance’s unity, speed and determination in dealing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He also stressed the need to continue in this direction.
Mr. Mitsotakis underlined that the sanctions decided to be applied by all members are very important for substantive and symbolic reasons, reiterated that Greece stood by Ukraine from the very beginning and pointed out that the Russian invasion has made it clear that the NATO’s mission to defend territorial integrity, human rights and international law is no longer a blank slate.
The Prime Minister also welcomed the development with Finland and Sweden and expressed his satisfaction that any difficulties were overcome.
Beneficial behaviors …
Earlier in the day, the prime minister addressed geopolitical challenges and the protection of territorial integrity and sovereignty, sending a clear message to Turkey, which he criticized for opportunistic and utilitarian behaviors and stressed that no more instability within the Alliance is needed.
«We are meeting today at the NATO Summit in the shadow of a war. The Russian invasion is a turning point in geopolitical time. Gives new importance to NATO and forces us to move faster in order to strengthen NATO structures“, He stated characteristically.
He added that “we are now facing new geopolitical challenges. In the new strategic doctrine, its introduction includes the protection of sovereignty, territorial integrity, international law and human rights as the value framework of the Alliance».
Commenting on the agreement reached on the accession of Finland and Sweden to the Alliance, the Prime Minister stressed that “common sense prevailed for the good of the alliance and any opportunistic and utilitarian behaviors were overcome».
Finally, he stressed that Greece has been a member of NATO since 1952 and is an important pillar of stability in the SE Mediterranean. «We invest more than 2% in defense spending, shielding our deterrent capability and Alliance structures. As a pillar of stability, we have every reason to believe that the Alliance’s commitment must be the situation in Ukraine at the moment, no more instability within the Alliance is needed and all our partners understand this“, concluded.
It is noted that before the start of the work of the Summit, the welcoming ceremony will be held by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and will be followed by Family photo of leaders.
The whole statement of the prime minister
“We are meeting today at the NATO Summit, in the shadow of a war. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a turning point in geopolitical time. It gives new importance to the Euro-Atlantic alliance and forces us to move faster in order to strengthen NATO structures.
Today we are facing new important geopolitical challenges. And I want to express my satisfaction because in the new strategic doctrine, which we will adopt shortly, its introduction includes the protection of sovereignty, territorial integrity, international law, but also human rights as the value framework on which it is based. our Alliance.
I would also like to welcome the fact that today the Alliance will invite Finland and Sweden to become the 31st and 32nd members of the Alliance. Eventually the common sense and the good of the Alliance prevailed and any opportunistic and utilitarian behaviors were overcome.
Greece has been a member of NATO since 1952. We are an important pillar of stability in the southeastern Mediterranean, we are a country that systematically invests more than 2% of its GDP in defense spending, thus shielding not only our own defensive deterrent. but also the structures of the Alliance.
As a pillar of stability, then, in the south-eastern wing of NATO we have every reason to believe that at this time the Alliance’s commitment should be to the challenge it faces on the Ukrainian front. We do not need any other source of instability within the Alliance and I believe that is something that all our partners understand. “
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