Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, upon his arrival at the NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting, noted that this is taking place at a critical time, as well as referring to the discussions on Ukraine, the Southern Neighbourhood, and Greece’s position in NATO’s inner core.

Gerapetritis stated from Brussels: “The NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting is taking place at an extremely critical moment for the future of the Alliance and for peace in the world. We must maintain the unity of the Alliance, the cohesion of the Alliance, and measure those forces that will lead us to much stronger defence capabilities, without disrupting the cohesion of our defence.

“The ministerial meeting is taking place in the midst of discussions on Ukraine. We must all understand that we must stand with Ukraine. Sovereignty is non-negotiable. Aggression and revisionism have no place in the modern world. They have no place and no connection with International Law.

“I would particularly like to highlight the issue of the Southern Neighbourhood. Greece was one of those countries that pioneered the Southern Neighbourhood Action Plan. We are in a very sensitive region. North Africa, the Middle East, the Sahel zone are extremely critical areas for peace and prosperity in the region. We must exhaust every possibility so that we can ensure tranquillity in the region. We must all understand that today we are setting the precedents for the future.

“Greece, within the inner core of NATO and the European Union, within the inner core of the OSCE, a member of the United Nations Security Council, always stands in support of international multilateralism, in support of International Law, without concessions as regards the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the parties.”