Gerapetritis: Greece maintains traditional ties with the Gulf countries – Let’s join efforts for peace in the Middle East

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Gerapetritis, said in a statement to ERT, after the end of his visit to Kuwait – which completes a cycle of visits to the Gulf countries – that “Greece maintains traditional ties with the Gulf countries”.

As he pointed out, he had the opportunity to talk with the Kuwaiti foreign minister and the state organizations dealing with imports and exports, investments from and to Kuwait.

“We jointly identified the great scope that exists to increase our bilateral trade,” Mr. Gerapetritis emphasized and added: “We agreed to have actions, which will lead to agreements for large-scale Kuwaiti investments in Greece and, of course , for exchange of business missions”.

“These two days, we mainly had the opportunity to discuss the burning issue of the Middle East”, he pointed out and underlined: “Unfortunately, the situation is not going well. There are huge problems in terms of the peace process and, of course, every day that passes there is a serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the region.”

“What we agreed in Qatar as well as in Kuwait is that we should join our efforts, Europe together with the countries of the Gulf and the Arab world, so that there is a concrete proposal, which will solve the issue of the Middle of the East, will allow the unhindered and full provision of humanitarian aid to the affected areas and will definitively resolve the issue of hostages which is a real wound for humanitarian values”, noted the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The minister also stated that he had the opportunity to emphasize, as at the European Council in Luxembourg, that “the European Union should take a central initiative to bring together all the parallel efforts that are being made for peace in the region, under the High Representative and a number of foreign ministers of the member states, so that, finally, we can sit at the table so that we can constructively, creatively resolve the Middle East issue, stop the developing humanitarian crisis and prevent a spillover, which will could exist either in Rafah or in Lebanon or in Jordan or in the Red Sea and which would have dramatic consequences for humanity.”

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