Gerapetritis: Greece is the country that has a strategic relationship with the countries of the Western Balkans

“Greece is the country that par excellence has a strategic relationship with the countries of the Western Balkans,” said Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, speaking earlier in the Parliament. “We have managed, at this moment, to have excellent relations, with all the states”, underlined Mr. Gerapetritis and added: “This is because the present government is governed, in terms of foreign policy, from an attitude of principle, rules . We will never appear inconsistent. And this is something that is credited to us because we can talk in terms of consistency and integrity with everyone even when there are competitors in the same area.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs came to the Parliament, in order to answer a topical question of the MP of the New Left, Sia Anagnostopoulos, about the government’s strategy in the Western Balkans and, in particular, about the government’s attitude towards the integration of Kosovo into the Council of Europe, the implementation of the Agreement of Prespa and the relationship with Albania, especially after the participation of Mr. Beleris, in the European ballot of New Democracy.

Sia Anagnostopoulou stated that while the geopolitical upheavals are critical and leave no room for complacency, the Greek government seems “lost in the Balkan horizon” and instead of having a solid strategic policy on what it wants to do, it either remains inactive when everything is moving around or when it moves, it causes problems.

“Greece is the accelerating country in terms of the European, Union and Euro-Atlantic course of the Western Balkans. Of course we understand that this path is subject to conditions, it is the EU enlargement policy and the stabilization and association process, with clear reference to the rule of law and democracy, respect for fundamental rights, and respect for minorities,” said the Foreign Minister and added that “Greece maintains excellent relations with all the member states of the Western Balkans, especially with the traditionally friendly countries, such as Serbia and Montenegro, with which we have developed special connectivity agreements, at the level of transport and energy”.

“The policy of the authorities has allowed us to be fair interlocutors in difficult circumstances, such as the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina, but of course to be able to talk with Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Kosovo,” said Giorgos Gerapetritis.