Europe is in an extremely difficult situation of multiple challenges, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis pointed out on Wednesday, stressing that the Western Balkans, which are currently on the path to the European Union, should accelerate, but the EU should also do everything in its power to make the Western Balkans a place of peace and prosperity.

G. Gerapetritis: We met today in London for the Berlin Process. This is an extremely important forum, which concerns the future of the Western Balkans, the future of Europe itself. Greece, always a pioneer in the progress of the accession process of the Western Balkans, today more than ever, is at the forefront of initiatives. The Western Balkans, currently on the path to the European Union, should accelerate. Like the European Union, it should do everything in its power to make the Western Balkans a place of peace and prosperity. And to do this, the only sure way is the European family. This is an immense need, which appears today with so many challenges, with great waves of universal problems, which are hitting us. With nationalisms, which are developing. The road to the European family should be accelerated. And Greece will take care in this direction with a series of initiatives.

Journalist: Did you talk more specifically about migration flows?

G. Gerapetritis: We talked about immigration, about the security challenges, which exist and are multiple. Not just physics security, but even hybrid threats. There is the food crisis, the climate crisis, the health crises, which are endemic. We are currently in an extremely difficult multi-challenged situation. All this was the subject of our discussion. What we find every day is that crises become more universal from national or regional and problems from local or regional always become geopolitical. This evolution creates even greater complexity in interstate relations. The only solution, which would expand the welfare regime in the region, a greater dividend for the many, a greater convergence between peoples and states, would be unification, the path of the Western Balkans towards the European family. We share common challenges, we have big common problems and we should manage them together.

Journalist: Mr. Minister, we understand that the Ukrainian issue was also discussed on the sidelines of the Synod.

G. Gerapetritis: Ukrainian is always on the agenda of every discussion. And this because it changes the way we think in Europe. It goes without saying that since the facts have changed with the attack on Europe’s borders, within Europe itself, with Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the way we think is changing. First of all, Europe is evolving from an economic and political pillar to a geopolitical pillar. And that means greater synergies. It means greater investment in European defense and above all a different vision for a strategic autonomy of Europe. This strategic autonomy also includes the encouragement, as much as possible, of the states that are in the vestibule of the European Union to have that strength, resilience, so that they can face any challenges, interventions from foreign states, which wish to take them on different paths.