Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, who is visiting New York starting tomorrow to take part in the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, characterized Greece’s participation in the UN Security Council as an extremely important opportunity for further highlighting the role and diplomatic footprint of Greece on the international stage.

 Gerapetritis speaking to the Greek Diaspora newspaper “National Herald” said among other things that Greece, after an intense diplomatic struggle, will become in the next two years a co-producer of the global security architecture in a particularly critical geopolitical moment.

He added that the issues that will concern the General Assembly and the Security Council next week will be the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East, while he recalled that a few days ago, he completed a first round of important contacts in the wider Middle East, Qatar, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Amman, Abu Dhabi and Damascus, while he also visited New Delhi.

Referring to the relations between Greece and the United States, he said that they have a deep strategic character and that the Greek government had worked closely and constructively with the American side during the first term of President Donald Trump adding that we have every reason to believe that something similar will happen now.

Commenting on the declarations of the new US administration which seem to create a new landscape on the international stage,  he said that as an EU member state we must recognize that it is necessary to upgrade the role and dynamics of the EU at all levels, so that it can successfully respond to the challenges of a difficult to predict international environment.

He said that Greece remains committed to principles and values, to the settlement of disputes through diplomacy and dialogue, with respect for International Law and the Charter of the United Nations.
Referring to the importance of Greece’s participation in the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member, Gerapetritis said that in an ever-changing geopolitical landscape, Greece’s position in the UN Security Council is both a great honour and a great responsibility.

Finally, speaking about the dialogue with Turkiye, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said that we are obliged to seek the resolution of disputes through dialogue.