The fundamental principles that govern Greek foreign policy, “which are based on basic values ​​and not opportunistic maneuvers depending on the situation”, were presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis during a speech at Georgetown University. After the meeting he had with his American counterpart Anthony Blinken at the State Department, Mr. Gerapetritis went to the historic university of the American capital, where he had the opportunity to speak in front of a large audience of students and academics.

The Greek Foreign Minister noted that the compass of Greek foreign policy is the UN Charter and International Law in general. As he explained, Greece has managed to gather significant diplomatic capital and emerge as a pillar of stability and security in an unstable region thanks to its principled foreign policy, but also to its strong economic performance.

He then referred to the very high level of Greek-American relations that were sealed at the State Department by the holding of the fifth round of the Greek-US Strategic Dialogue.

Answering questions from students, Mr. Gerapetritis underlined the strong upward trend of the economy as a result of the reform policies implemented by the Greek government.

At this point, he pointed out that the Greek economy has recovered, as taxation has been reduced and significant foreign investments are now being attracted.

In fact, he argued that this has led to high growth rates, the reduction of unemployment and stopping the flight of young people abroad.

In the energy sector, he mentioned that Greece is increasingly promoting energy security in Europe. In addition to the great progress achieved in increasing the share of Renewable Energy Sources in the energy mix, infrastructure and interconnection pipelines with other countries in the Balkans and the Mediterranean are already implemented or planned. The Liquefied Natural Gas infrastructure (FSRU) in Alexandroupoli is expected to be fully operational soon, which will supply the Balkans and Eastern Europe with natural gas.

As expected, Mr Gerapetritis received many questions about the worrying situation in the Middle East. The Greek Foreign Minister emphasized the need to increase the channeling of humanitarian aid to Gaza and limit the spillover effects of the crisis in the region. Referring to the crisis in the Red Sea, he observed that the smooth functioning of distribution chains and the conduct of global transport have been disrupted, which poses risks to the global economy and food security. “The exit from the crisis can only be achieved through the cessation of hostilities, the release of the hostages and the formation of a political horizon to normalize the situation and promote the two-state solution”, pointed out Mr. Gerapetritis.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs also presented Greece’s candidacy for the position of non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the two years 2025-2026. As he mentioned, Greece’s priorities include the peaceful resolution of disputes, respect for International Law, the consistent implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the fight against climate change, maritime security, as well as highlighting the issues of women and children who are victims of armed conflicts.

Answering the questions of the students, Mr. Gerapetritis spoke of the improvement of the climate in Greek-Turkish relations during the last months, while in relation to the Cyprus issue, he expressed the Greek position on the need to restart the talks with the aim of finding a fair and sustainable solution on based on UN resolutions.

Finally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs analyzed the Greek positions on the issues of the Western Balkans and reiterated that their EU accession perspective should be accelerated as a culmination of the process that began with the Thessaloniki Summit in 2003. The accession of the Western Balkans to the EU , said Mr. Gerapetritis, it will be a positive development not only for these countries, but also for Greece and the European Union.