“Greece believes in respect for international law and the international law of the sea, as well as national sovereignty and the protection of sovereign rights,” said Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias after meeting with his Senegalese counterpart Aisata Tal Sal. In joint statements after the meeting, Nikos Dendias made it clear that for Greece International Law is sacred in Greek foreign policy and sent the message that “we are happy to cooperate with other countries at this level.”
“We believe in international law and international law of the sea. “UNCLOS has been signed by Senegal, and Senegal is also a member of the UNCLOS Friends Group, so we are working with it,” said Nikos Dendias.
During the meeting of the two Foreign Ministers, the possibilities of cooperation of Greece with Senegal in the maritime sector, in trade, in tourism and in education were examined. “We had a fruitful conversation on strengthening Greece-Senegal ties in a wide range of areas, with an emphasis on maritime cooperation, trade, education, health, pandemic management, tourism and immigration. “We also discussed the EU-Africa partnership, the joint Greek-Senegalese commitment to international law and the law of the sea, as well as the security situation in the Sahel and maritime safety issues,” Nikos Dendias wrote on social media.
In particular, during the statements, Nikos Dendias expressed his satisfaction with the agreement with his Senegalese counterpart on maritime cooperation. In particular, he emphasized the cooperation in merchant shipping and stated that Greece will be happy to provide scholarships to the Greek naval schools, either for the merchant navy or for the navy, to probationers from Senegal.
Highlighting the importance of Senegal for Greece, the Foreign Minister expressed confidence that he is entering the central stage not only in Africa, but also in the world. And that is why, he added, “which is why we decided to open our embassy in Dakar, Senegal.” He also said that it was no coincidence that many international organizations were based in Senegal and that he was holding the presidency of the African Union, “something that is very important”.
Referring to the recent EU-Africa Summit, he described it as a success. “Your ideas were heard and for Greece it is important to hear the views of Africa in Europe,” he said.
After noting that “we do not know Africa better than the African population,” he said he was visiting Senegal to hear and understand. Referring to the meeting with his Senegalese counterpart, he thanked her for discussing “many important things”.
Also, Nikos Dendias said he was happy for his visit to the Pasteur Institute, which will cooperate with the Greek Pasteur Institute, as well as for the fact that he will start producing vaccines in Senegal. “I was informed about the situation in the field of Health in West Africa, the work of the Institute in the development and production of vaccines in Africa and the prospects of cooperation with the Greek Pasteur Institute,” he announced after the visit. According to Nikos Dendias, it is very important to offer vaccines to African countries and the African people. “Health is a global good and all people have access to it,” he said. In this context, he recalled the donation of millions of vaccines that Greece has made.
Furthermore, Mr. Dendias congratulated the Senegalese national football team for winning the African Cup of Nations.
Finally, addressing Aisata Tal Sal, he thanked her for the “extremely interesting visit”, as well as that she was received by President Macy Sall. He is the successor to President Leopold Cedar Sangor. “He was a Greek and I think he would be extremely happy to be here today opening an embassy in his homeland,” he said.
He also announced that he had handed over to the President of Senegal an invitation from the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to visit Greece.
It is noted that after their meeting, Nikos Dendias and Aisata Tal Sal signed a Memorandum of Political Consultation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries.
In addition to his counterpart, Nikos Dendias, during his visit to Senegal, met with representatives of the UN on the Sahel and specialized think tanks on African issues in the presence of the Greek Ambassador to Dakar, Special Envoy-Sahel Efthymios Costopoulos. The focus was on the situation in the Sahel, the challenges for the region and the ways to deal with them. In addition, he participated in a teleconference with Greek officers serving in the European Mission EUTM Mali and was informed about the work of the Mission in Mali.
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