Dendias: Greece promotes collaboration between EU, Arab world
The international community must aim at safeguarding Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity, Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias has said, during the welcoming remarks of the Athens Retreat on Syria.
These factors comprise the basic principles of Greece’s foreign policy, he added at the meeting in Kavouri, on the coast south of Athens.
The war in Syria “has become the epicenter of a serious humanitarian crisis and of illegal military interventions by third parties, against international laws, while we have also witnessed the rise of terrorist and criminal networks,” Dendias said.
As a country very near Syria, and one with very strong historical ties with it – including its local Christian communities – Greece has felt the repercussions from the war at first hand, the minister noted. Greece is trying to help in every possible way in the humanitarian aspect, through the United Nations’ efforts and in coordination with its European Union partners.
In this spirit, Dendias said, Greece strongly supports the efforts by the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, whom he met earlier in the day.
“The worsening of relations with Russia has highlighted the significance of Arab countries in Europe’s energy and food security. As a result, our collaboration with regional players has become a significant priority for Greece, but also, we believe, for the European Union as well ,” the foreign minister noted.
Additionally, the war in Syria has underlined the need to protect civilians from significant violations of human rights and of International Law in general, while Greece has provided humanitarian aid for Syria and, after the catastrophic earthquakes, for civilians in Turkey as well.
The Athens Retreat on Syria is organized by the European Union, with the assistance of the Greek Foreign Ministry. It is being attended by EU Member States’ Special Representatives for Syria, amoung others. [AMNA]
