O Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis Visiting New York in the context of Greece’s high level of open -ended sea security discussion, he interviewed the American television network CNN and to journalist Richard Quest Among other things for the United Kingdom-EU agreement, Greece’s economic recovery and sea security.
Answering a question about the United Kingdom-EU Agreement and its benefits for tourism and trade Mr. Gerapetritis It welcomed the new agreement, pointing out Greece’s support and active participation in its completion.
It emphasized its importance not only for trade and tourism, two main pillars of the Greek -British relationship, but also for European strategic autonomy. As he said, Europe cannot exist Without the UK cooperation and this agreement is a substantial upgrade of cooperation. Greece looks forward to continuing the common path.
“I believe that beyond trade, peoples’ diplomacy and tourism, this is an important step in strengthening European strategic autonomy. We cannot imagine Europe without the United Kingdom. It is a great upgrade and we look forward to working closely,” he said.
About whether this agreement “Reflects a late but necessary adaptation due to US-Russia geopolitical pressures” And “it could have been achieved earlier, if there was no political stiffness,” Mr Gerapetritis said that today’s geopolitical reality imposed a cool approach and stressed that Greece believes in the power of dialogue and the need for studied diplomacy. As he explained, in times of crisis, states tend to rally, seeking common power and enhanced negotiating capacity. Today’s international risks have led to necessary convergence.
“It’s important to sit on the table and discuss … When challenges appear, states, governments, come closer. The more united they are, the stronger they become, they gain greater influence and negotiating weapons. All of this brought us close. I believe this is the beginning of a great alliance, ”he said.
Asked about Greece’s economic recovery after the crisis, Mr Gerapetritis described the difficult times Greece has gone, with a decade of austerity and nearly 25% loss of GDP. But he pointed out the impressive recovery of the last six years, with the country leading to Europe at growth rates, Reduction of unemployment and limitation of deficit. He stressed that Greece is now borrowing in terms of corresponding or even better than other European countries, which confirms the return of market confidence. At the same time, it highlighted the importance of the government’s political stability and pro -investment policy.
“We have a stable government, investment -friendly. That is why we have welcomed in Greece top US companies Like Amazon, Pfizer, Google, Cisco. They all found a fertile environment ”he stressed Mr. Gerapetritis.
Regarding Greece’s objectives in the UN Open Security debate, the Foreign Minister stressed that 80% of world trade is moving through sea and thus the safety of sea routes is critical to the global economy.
Pointed out the need to protect the freedom of navigation and to deal with modern threats, Like the climate crisis, cyberattacks, terrorism, piracy and the movement of people. As he explained, Greece will propose a new international context that will allow greater freedom of movement, as well as increased measures to protect against hybrid threats. He placed particular emphasis on the fight against trafficking in human beings, which he described as a modern threat to human dignity.
“All of these challenges must be addressed. The fact that this is a global challenge It means a global answer is required, ”he said.