The First Vice-President of the Hellenic Parliament, Yannis Plakiotakisparticipated in an informative visit of the European Affairs Committee in Brussels, accompanied by a delegation of 20 MPs from all parliamentary parties. The visit aimed to strengthen the Parliament’s cooperation with the institutions of the European Union and included meetings with senior officials of the Commission and the European Parliament.
During the meeting with the Defense and Space Commissioner, Mr. Andrius KubiliusMr. Plakiotakis emphasized his satisfaction with the integration of the Greek initiatives for common anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense in the Commission’s road map, underlining the importance of strengthening the common European defense.
The First Vice-President of the Parliament reiterated Greece’s firm position that countries that threaten war with member states of the Union cannot participate in the program SAFE and more generally in the European defense architecture. “Turkey maintains the casus belli against Greece and continues to illegally occupy part of the Republic of Cyprus. This reality cannot be ignored or circumvented”he emphasized.
The Greek parliamentary delegation also had a meeting with Mrs. Sophia AsteriadisDeputy Head of the Office of the EU Commissioner, Mr. Maroš Šefčovič, responsible for Commercial and Economic Security, Inter-institutional Relations and Transparency, while matters of cooperation and transparency in the European Union were discussed.
At the same time, Mr. Plakiotakis met with officials from the office of the Commissioner responsible for Fisheries, Mr. Kostas Kadis, raising the problem of illegal fishing activity (IUU) by third countries in Greek territorial waters, which remains unresolved despite long-term cooperation with the Commission.
The First Vice-President of the Parliament concluded by underlining that the European Union must defend international legitimacy, resist any form of revisionism and defend International Law and the Law of the Sea. “Only through unity, consistency and respect for the rules that Europe stands for can we ensure the security, sovereignty and well-being of our citizens,” he concluded.