“Greece and Serbia maintain long-standing historical, cultural and religious relations,” the Foreign Minister emphasized. George Gerapetritisafter his meeting with its Foreign Minister Serbia, Marko Duric.

“Your presence here gives us the opportunity to deepen the excellent ties of friendship and solidarity between our peoples,” he stressed addressing his counterpart.

At the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out, like the prime minister earlier that Greece supports the accession of Serbia to the EU, saying that it “constitutes a geopolitical necessity” and that our country will “practically contribute to the dynamics of the country’s accession process”.

In detail, the statements of Mr. Gerapetritis:

“I welcome to Athens the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and my dear friend, Mr. Marko Duric. After our meeting in New York last September, in the context of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization, it is my honor and pleasure, Mr. Minister, to welcome you to Athens today.

Greece and Serbia maintain long historical, cultural and religious relations. In 2019, at the 3rd Supreme Cooperation Council, our bilateral relations were upgraded to strategies. We look forward to organizing the next Supreme Cooperation Council in the near future. Your presence here gives us the opportunity to deepen the excellent bonds of friendship and solidarity between our peoples. Today’s signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between Greece and Serbia is precisely an indication of this mutual will. The meeting gives us the opportunity to once again express Greece’s full support for Serbia’s European path. We must recognize the efforts made by Serbia and we contribute in practice to the dynamics of the country’s accession process.

Today the Western Balkans European Union Summit is taking place in Brussels and Greece takes a clear position. Serbia’s accession to the European Union is a geopolitical necessity. This was also highlighted by the Prime Minister of Greece in his letter to the heads of government of the member states of the European Union, as well as to the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, a few days ago, inviting them to adopt the European Commission’s proposal for the opening of the 3rd Block of Negotiable Capital with Serbia, calling on the country to do even more for full alignment with the European acquis, but also sending a strong message to the Serbian people about their European vision.

After all, it was Greece that took the lead, with the Thessaloniki Agenda in 2003, in the integration of the Western Balkans into the European Union as the only way to consolidate stability and security in the region. And we confirmed this policy in a letter that we sent as a group of Friends of the Western Balkans to the new High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy and Security Policy matters regarding the acceleration of the enlargement process of the Western Balkan countries.

Regarding Kosovo, which we discussed, our position remains firm. Greece supports the Dialogue process between Belgrade and Pristina. We welcome Serbia’s constructive stance on the agreement reached yesterday in Brussels on the Joint Committee on Missing Persons.

My Serbian counterpart and I discussed bilateral economic cooperation and its further deepening. We placed special emphasis on the development of our investor relations. We talked about the organization of the EXPO 2027 international exhibition in Belgrade, which we support.

We discussed the promotion of connectivity projects in the transport sector, the Piraeus-Thessaloniki-Skopje-Belgrade-Central Europe railway connection and energy, such as the Vertical Corridor, the Greece-Bulgaria Natural Gas pipeline, the natural gas between Serbia and Bulgaria. All actions critical for the energy self-determination of our countries.

Bilateral trade and tourism are two areas that reflect the excellent scope of our cooperation. In 2023 we had record trades, close to 800 million, and already this year an even greater increase is in sight.

And in the field of sports, we trust in the hands of a Serbian coach, Mr. Ivan Jovanovic, the Greek national football team. After all, Serbia has a very long tradition in sports.

And at this point I would like to particularly thank the Serbian government and the Serbian people for their immediate response and solidarity to the devastating fires of last August and last October. With the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, we also discussed regional and international developments and, of course, the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Greek foreign policy has chosen an attitude of principle in all fields, with absolute adherence to international law. The peaceful resolution of disputes must be the touchstone of the international security architecture. And in this context the role of international organizations is particularly critical. From January 1, 2025, in two weeks, and for two years, Greece will be a member of the United Nations Security Council. Our faith in international law and the constitutional principles of the United Nations Charter is our compass. And based on these principles, we look forward to close cooperation between Greece and Serbia.

Mr. Minister, in the Blood Peninsula we know very well what war means. The peoples of the Balkans were inspired by Riga Feraios. His vision of freedom and the fellowship of peoples remains relevant and timeless. And we will support this together.

With these thoughts I welcome my dear Minister, my dear friend, to Athens”.

For Syria

Asked by a journalist, about the developments in SyriaMr. Gerapetritis answered:

“The situation in Syria after the fall, the sudden fall, of the authoritarian Assad regime remains fluid. Greece was clearly positioned that at this moment, what is important is to ensure the transition to democratic normality. Which means that there should be inclusive management, which will include all parties. Territorial integrity for Syria, guaranteed and free from external actors. Clear protection of religious communities and religious monuments and absolute safeguarding of the freedoms of all vulnerable categories of citizens, including children and women. And all this in the context of Security Council Resolution 2254, which concerns Syria. Greece, from the first moment, was actively present in the Syrian issue. First of all, I myself am in constant communication with all my Arab counterparts, so that we have a common attitude, which will precisely seek the specific facts, the democratic normality, which is not yet guaranteed.

On the other hand, we have already made moves in its context European Union. With my counterparts from Cyprus and Austria, we have submitted to the European Union a plan for the active presence of the Union in Syria with specific proposals, which concern the establishment of a Special Envoy of the European Union for Syria, with the active presence of both European Union, as well as the member states in Damascus, so that we can constantly monitor what is happening and ensure the democratic normality and the guarantee of the freedoms of all citizens. And of course, the Greek Embassy in Damascus remains open and at the disposal of Greek citizenswho are currently in Syria. We should all realize that it is in the interest of regional, but also universal security, for Syria to be able to stand on its own feet with self-determination, without exclusions and without external influences.”