The coalition government Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Evangelos Venizelos expressed his concern over the recent violation of the Cypriot EEZ and continental shelf by Turkey, before the Parliamentary Committee on NATO.
Mr. Venizelos explained that “this outright violation of international law creates yet another front, yet another crisis, in a troubled region, at a time when the Alliance and international community must be and is focused on the very serious crises”. Regarding the trilateral cooperation initiative with Cyprus and Egypt, Mr. Venizelos noted that the aim is not just to develop ties of synergy in energy, tourism and transport, but also in increasing stability, cooperation and security in the region.
The Foreign Affairs Minister also supported the induction of West Balkan states into NATO, but noted that the naming dispute with FYROM must first be addressed in a mutually accepted way before carrying on with the induction process. As for the Ukrainian crisis, Mr. Venizelos noted that the government is in favor of a political solution, while maintaining channels of communication with Russia. Mr. Venizelos said that as allies, Greece will do everything necessary in order to avoid further divisive lines in Europe.
The terrorist threat of the so-called Islamic State was also addressed, with Mr. Venizelos noting that Greece is also suffering due to the humanitarian crisis developing in the Middle East and the huge wave of migration. The Minister stressed that Greece is participating in the alliance against the IS.
Finally, Mr. Venizelos underlined the importance of current NATO operations and declared Greek support of the Summit decisions in Wales, which include a readiness plan designed to tackle the aforementioned threats.
