Upon his invitation President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousathe President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, participated in the 18th Informal Meeting of the Heads of State of the Arraiolos Group, which took place yesterday in Porto.

During the joint press conference, Mrs. Sakellaropoulou, among other things, stated that “our reaction, both to the war in Ukraine and to the climate crisis, is closely linked to our fight for our shared values, the well-being of our citizens , our future. It is a struggle in which the European Union must lead.”

In detail, the statement of the President of the Republic from Porto:

“I would like to thank the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, for the excellent organization of the 18th meeting of the Arraiolos Group. In this country, 20 years ago, the first meeting took place, which is now established to be held annually.

I would also like to thank him for his choice of agenda items, on which we all expressed our thoughts and concerns. We highlighted the most important issues facing our continent today, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the path of the European Union into the future through multiple and difficult challenges.

The war in Ukraine was also on the agenda last year at our meeting in Valletta. We all had the opportunity to discuss its implications in various areas, highlighting the risks it poses to stability and security in Europe, as well as the negative precedent it sets for revisionist leaders who would like to emulate this example. Unfortunately, there has been no progress on this matter. We are obliged to defend our common European values ​​and principles, putting forward a unified and effective response, capable of coping with the scale of the unjustified attack.

Contrary to Russia’s calculations, the EU reacted swiftly and decisively. Greece fully supports all joint efforts to provide assistance to Ukraine.

We also highlighted the fact that in next year’s European elections the choices people make will affect our stance on a number of critical issues, such as immigration, EU enlargement and climate change, which is already taking shape state of emergency.

Extreme natural phenomena strongly affected Greece this summer, as well as other European and neighboring countries. This proves that these phenomena are not isolated, but are part of a disturbing and threatening pattern.

This is why there is no time to waste. We must all act in concert and join a collective effort to combat the effects of the climate crisis, adopting robust and drastic measures.

Our reaction, both to the war in Ukraine and to the climate crisis, is closely linked to our struggle for our shared values, the well-being of our citizens, our future. It is a struggle in which the European Union must lead.”