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Merkel-Mitsotaki meeting: They stressed the importance of dialogue and the pursuit of convergence

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Merkel-Mitsotaki meeting: They stressed the importance of dialogue and the pursuit of convergence

The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the German Chancellor Angela Angela, statements, after the meeting they had at the Maximos Palace.

Referring to the 16-year course of the outgoing Chancellor, the Greek Prime Minister described Mrs. Merkel as “the voice of reason and stability”. As he put it, this voice may have been “unfair at times, but decisive.”

“And you admitted that you asked a lot from the Greeks”, said Mr. Mitsotakis, estimating that “fortunately neither the cheap austerity, nor the cheap national slogans endured. “Community solidarity and true patriotism came out victorious in the end.”

Speaking about today's Greece as a country very different from the one that Mrs. Merkel had known a decade ago, Mr. Mitostakis highlighted as crucial the role of the Chancellor in refusing to expel Greece from Europe.

Mr. Mitsotakis referred to the importance of unanimity and convergence in the course of Europe towards the future, arguing that Mrs. Merkel is essentially moving in such a direction.

On the issue of Greek-Turkish relations, Mr. Mitostakis acknowledged as important the Chancellor's position for easing tensions through dialogue, but stressed that the European authorities should be transformed in practice.

“I also strive to always keep the channels of communication open. Western composure often encourages Turkish arbitrariness. “It is time for the European authorities to transform into European policy and, above all, European practice, towards those who offend it,” he said. “Greece only wants friends. And it proves it by concluding cooperation agreements with all the peaceful states in the region. It wants good relations, of course, with our neighbors, always guided by international law and the law of the sea. But she does not tolerate threats or disputes over her rights. “My position is clear and crystal clear,” said the Greek Prime Minister.

Asked what issues he will raise with Merkel's successor regarding Turkey, Mr. Mitsotakis noted that it is imperative to respect the decisions of the European Council on Turkey. He said the decisions put Turkey in a dilemma: a mutually beneficial relationship, but one that would reduce tensions, respect international law and good neighborly relations, or pave the way for sanctions if its provocative behavior continues.

Answering the relevant question, Mr. Mitsotakis also referred to the issue of the Turkish stance on the Cyprus issue. “There is a constant Turkish provocation, which unfortunately intensifies on several levels and I would say that it manifests itself in an even more intense way in the case of Cyprus. This is an issue that we also had the opportunity to discuss with the Chancellor. We are both very concerned. We agree in principle that we can not have any discussion on the basis of the logic of the two states. It's something we reject in principle. “We encourage Turkey to accept the obvious, namely the appointment of a new ombudsman by the United Nations, in order to keep the dialogue process alive, in the context of the existing decisions of the United Nations Security Council,” Mitsotakis said.

“I will continue to fight for a sincere dialogue and for a relationship of mutual respect, as required by relations between neighbors,” he said.

Finally, Mr. Mitsotakis referred to the prospects of Europe's strategic autonomy but also to immigration, noting the lack of a common European policy on immigration and asylum.

For her part, Mrs. Merkel referred to the relations between Greece and Germany, as well as to the difficulties that existed at this level.

“The difficulties were a given when it came to the stability of the euro and I personally was fully aware of the excessive burden that this meant and the challenge that this meant for the people in Greece. “In the end, we managed to find a common path, a common step for Greece to remain a member of the EU,” said the outgoing German Chancellor.

Referring to the challenge of immigration, Merkel noted that “the EU-Turkey Pact is an example that shows us that we can cooperate and in this case to cooperate with Turkey.”

Recognizing the difficulties that exist at the level of Greek-Turkish relations, Mrs. Merkel stressed the importance of dialogue, which, as she said, is a long process at the level of Turkey's relations with the EU. “We discussed intensively yesterday and today that “UN resolutions and international law must apply, and we believe it is important, although difficult to find answers and solutions through dialogue.”

Earlier, the German Chancellor was received by the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

Ms. Sakellaropoulou described Merkel as a great politician, who showed a purely pro-European stance on a number of issues. There were moments of difficulty and tension, said Ms. Sakellaropoulou, noting that during the economic crisis Greece often felt alone. However, he assessed that the difficulties contributed to mutual understanding and that Europe maintained its cohesion.

For her part, Merkel noted that despite the difficulties, there are solid foundations in the relations between the two countries, with dialogue always being the key to finding solutions.

ΚΥΠΕ

Source: politis.com.cy

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