Statements of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Venizelos and the Chairman of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, E. Brok, following their meeting (9 January 2014). -Hellenic MoFA

 MFA, Thursday, 09 January 2014
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E. VENIZELOS: It is a great pleasure to welcome to the Foreign Ministry, as the first official visitor following yesterday’s opening of the Hellenic Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Mr. Elmar Brok, a major figure in European Parliament, where he chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Brok and I had the opportunity to discuss the Hellenic Presidency’s priorities, particularly in the sector of foreign policy, enlargement policy, and the European Neighbourhood Policy.

Naturally, always with respect for the competencies of the High Representative and the European External Action Service. But the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, too, always plays an important role, and now, in a few days, on 20 January, I will have the opportunity to personally brief the Foreign Affairs Committee – which Mr. Brok chairs – on the Hellenic Presidency’s priorities.

Mr. Brok is a friend of Greece. He is very much aware of the Greek reality. We talked about the course of the implementation of the adjustment programme for the Greek economy and the Greek economy’s achievements in the fiscal sector, as well as in the sector of structural changes.

We are heading for the European elections, and included in the new image of Europe that we must present to European citizens is the image of a politically strong Union that plays the international role it should play in order to deal with many open fronts, and particularly many humanitarian crises that we cannot allow to evolve in this way in our time.

We talked about the major problems of the Middle East and North Africa. We talked about the situation in the Mediterranean, about the initiatives we need to take with regard to Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Libya. We talked about cooperation between the Mediterranean countries in the energy sector, and of course we talked about the follow-up we have to carry out on Lithuania’s work on the Eastern Neighbourhood, which culminated in the Vilnius Summit. The critical issue there is always the European Union’s relations with Russia.

Mr. Brok and I agreed on our joint priorities, and I am pleased because the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has such an experienced and capable chairperson, with whom we will be cooperating very closely over the next six months.

E. BROK: Mr. Minister, I thank you very much and I want to say that I am very pleased that we had this opportunity to talk about the Presidency, because I realize that we have before us a Presidency with a specific programme.

Foreign policy issues clearly must be discussed during the Presidency, and we are very pleased that we will be able to talk to a country of the South; a country with experience in the region. And let’s not forget that we have to do with a dangerous region where a number of issues are pending.

We both agreed that the Vilnius Summit Meeting was in fact problematic, as I would call it. A number of issues are also pending in the South, and mainly the Neighbourhood Policy, which must be implemented in the South. So, Mr. Minister, it is clear that specific initiatives must be taken.

I will also mention specific examples: the situation in Syria and Lebanon. More specifically, I would like to refer to the mediating role that the European Union can play in the case of Lebanon, on the problem that has arisen in Lebanon. We talked about and, I think, also agreed about issues concerning natural gas deposits that exist in the Southeastern Mediterranean. In this sector, let’s not forget that complications can be created. There are interwoven interests in this sector, so it is clear that on these issues, too, specific initiatives must be taken.

Moreover, from the discussion we had with the Minister, I think that we concluded that, as the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament, we will organize – before the elections – a hearing for the discussion of Law-of-the-Sea issues.

We have member states in the European Union that have talked about and come up with specific proposals on this issue. I am referring to Egypt and to Greece. There are, of course, also some pending issues with Turkey, Cyprus – all the beautiful countries of this region – and I think that such a hearing is called for.

• With regard to the crisis, allow me to say that we are very well aware that the structural changes the country has carried out recently in many sectors obviously led to a great burden being put on the Greek people. Allow me to say that the European Union, and specifically the country that I come from, Germany, has taken a clear decision, and our decision is to stand by Greece in solidarity. The decision has been made. There is no longer any issue in that regard.

Of course, now, due to Greece’s assuming the Presidency, the issue of Greece is in the news again. In Germany – as in Greece, I imagine – there are articles of every shade.

Yesterday, during my flight here, I met with a Greek businessperson who told me that things are going much better. The upward course has begun, and, moreover, as you well know, in the meeting between the Chancellor and Prime Minister Samaras, the issue of the primary surplus was raised – a matter on which I think our stance is clear.

The most important thing on the table right now is the reforms. Of course, the reforms always have to keep pace with some sort of just taxation, but, I repeat, the real challenge is the reforms.

We will support the Greek government in this effort: the reforms and their implementation. There really are, perhaps, things that need some improvement in Greece. You, Mr. Minister, know them much better than I do. Issues on the level of improvement of Administration, and what is important is that we will stand by Greece’s effort.

Obviously, the work of the reforms cannot be done by the European Parliament. The Parliament cannot even get involved in the matter of improving Administration in Greece. But, as the European Parliament, I propose that in the future, in the near future, we invite the troika, one or two or three times, so that we can talk about the issues within the troika’s competencies.

Also allow me to say that we had very interesting talks with Mr. Regling, the Managing Director of the European Stability Mechanism, who assured us that the Greek debt is sustainable. And the issue was raised of the height of the interest rates, of the longer duration, in force, of the interest rates that have been decided upon. I think this is an interesting proposal, and I think that Germany, too, embraces this, and this, let’s say, could be a solution to the problem in confronting the debt.

I am very well aware that the Greek government is at this time being called upon to deal with an historically difficult moment, an unprecedented duty. And you know that this will be judged, in the end, when this whole process has been completed. At the end of the Greek government’s term, I think the citizens of Greece will have a very good understanding of this whole effort that was made.

I was very pleased to be briefed by you, Mr. Minister, because – and I didn’t know this – you were a student of Professor Tsatsos, who was also my friend, and in fact I happen to be a member of the Tsatsos Foundation’s Board of Directors, in the city of Hagen, and so for that reason I think that, in some way, we are linked by an indirect old friendship.
mfa.gr
9/1/14