A clear message that France was and will be on the side of Greece and Cyprus when there are threats and violations of sovereignty by neighboring countries, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna sent from Athens, after the meeting with her Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias .
“We were on Greece’s side and we will continue to be” he wanted to repeat and pointed out that of course France is monitoring the situation very carefully to avoid any escalation. “I said it yesterday in Ankara and I repeated it today” he added and noted that no one wants further escalation, escalation and that “everyone should show restraint”.
Referring to her meeting in Turkey yesterday with the Turkish foreign minister, Katrin Colonna said that she expressed France’s concern in the face of this escalation and tensions and even asked that there be no statements that could be equated with provocations. As he noted, the region does not need tension, but peace and mutual respect.
Answering a question about how France will be on Greece’s side, in the framework of the defense agreement between the two countries in September 2021, if the threats materialize and if there is an escalation, Catherine Colonna assured that “we are all doing everything that goes through the our hand so that we don’t end up in the situation you described. In other words, let’s act so that we don’t end up in this situation.”
However, continued the French foreign minister, if this happens, “we have indeed signed a corporate strategic cooperation agreement, and of course, Article 21 describes exactly this case, and it describes that if the two parties find that there is an armed attack on territory of one or the other country there is mutual assistance”. He repeated, however, that “we are doing everything we can to avoid being in this situation”.
During their meeting, the two foreign ministers touched upon the full range of bilateral, European and common regional challenges. Depicting the high level at which Greek-French relations are, Katrin Colona said that “today we did not have to approach our relations, because there is complete harmony in all these matters”.
Pointing out that today’s meeting with Nikos Dendias is the second in the summer, he said that it shows the quality of their relationship and the strategic partnership between the two countries. “A partnership that is fueled by the meetings between us,” he added.
He thanked Greece for its support in fighting the fires in France.
He also welcomed Greece’s exit from the enhanced surveillance mechanism. It was a very positive step that shows the strong will of Greece in today’s effort and the resilience it showed, he underlined.
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, Catherine Colonna said that Greece and France continue to show solidarity with Kyiv and that they will continue their contacts in a spirit of unity. From day one, he pointed out, Europe showed unity and was able to be effective against Russia’s aggression.
Referring to the consequences of this attack on energy prices, she said that they are worrying our citizens and underlined the need for a European response. He did not fail to mention the Stability and Growth Pact, stressing that Greece and France will continue to work on its future reform. “Together we should continue our course, so that together with all European partners, we prepare the energy transition and a greener economy.” Highlighting the European dimension, he said that in addition to the very friendly relations between our two countries, all EU countries must face all these challenges.
In addition, the French foreign minister also referred to the inspection mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the city of Zaporizhia, in southern Ukraine, describing it as important for the security of the region.
Regarding the Western Balkans, Katrin Colona said that one of the positive developments and achievement of the French presidency is the support of the European path of North Macedonia and Albania and he welcomed the Belgrade-Pristina agreement on free movement. “Thanks to the dialogue, we have some positive messages that we should support and facilitate,” he said and explained that consultations, consensus and dialogue should continue.
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