“It is important that we do everything in our power to de-escalate the crisis,” underlined the Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis in joint statements in Amman with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

“As a member of the EU and an interlocutor of all sides, we are willing to offer our good services to help reduce the effects of the war, de-escalate the crisis and avoid regional conflagration,” he pointed out.

“With Jordan, one of the key players in the region, we share the same vision: To live in a safe and peaceful region, without wars, conflicts and disputes”, underlined the foreign minister, adding that “a prerequisite for this is to find a sustainable solution to the Palestinian issue.”

Greece, as he reminded, “has long and persistently supported the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, which will coexist peacefully with Israel, with internationally recognized borders, based on the pre-1967 border line, and with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

He emphasized that Greece is “intensely concerned on many levels about the situation in the Middle East: about the ongoing loss of human life, about the current humanitarian crisis, which is taking on catastrophic proportions, about the intensifying concern in the West Bank, about the culmination of the crisis in Red Sea and above all for the human tragedy in Gaza.”

Greece, as mentioned by Mr. Gerapetritis, “practicing a stable foreign policy based on the fundamental principles of International Law has condemned every form of terrorism from the first moment”.

He further highlighted the need for a prolonged cessation of hostilities to create sustainable corridors for the unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians.

He also praised Jordan’s significant efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian citizens.

“Greece is in favor of opening more humanitarian corridors and the free flow of necessary material,” he said.

“We must relieve the pain and suffering of civilians in Gaza. We must all do what we can to provide food and medicine supplies. And of course we have to restore basic facilities and networks in Gaza.”

“Scenarios of further displacement of the population cannot be accepted”, he pointed out and added:

“Greece believes it is time to start a serious discussion about the next day, so as to open a political perspective for peace in the region. We believe that the role of the Palestinian Authority in this perspective will be essential and should be supported, as it is our only reliable interlocutor from the Palestinian side.”

Asked how Greece could offer “good services”, Mr. Gerapetritis said we are trying to help in every way that more humanitarian aid arrives.

But, “we have to see the next day, to work with the European partners to see how this collective drama will heal.”

“We have maintained from the beginning a specific attitude based on specific principles, we can talk to both sides,” he stressed while noting:

“What we need to do is find a formula for peace. I think there is room for peace. Not only between the two sides involved, but between all the countries in the region.”

“Jordan has a firm position to prevent aggression, but also to provide the necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said.

“Einit is time for the international community to assume its responsibilities and stop the war,” he said, adding that the Palestinians have a right to an independent and sovereign state.

“We are working together with Greece, Cyprus and the EU to prevent the effects of this disaster,” he noted.

Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis is expected to be received tomorrow by the King of Jordan, Abdullah II.