Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his address to the NATO Summit focused on the issues on the agenda, he highlighted the importance of the fact that the Alliance has shown unity, speed and determination in dealing with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stressed the need to continue in this direction.
Mr. Mitsotakis stressed that it is all the more important for substantive and symbolic reasons that the sanctions decided upon be implemented by all members, reiterated that Greece has stood by Ukraine from the very first moment and noted that the Russian invasion has made it clear that NATO's mission to defend the territorial integrity of human rights and international law is no longer empty.
The Prime Minister also welcomed the development with Finland and Sweden and expressed his satisfaction that any difficulties had been overcome.
Mitsotakis: "No more instability within NATO"
Earlier, on his arrival at the summit, Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed the prospect of Finland and Sweden joining NATO, while also criticizing Turkey's stance so far. He reiterated that Greece is a pillar of stability for NATO and that, at this juncture, no further areas of instability within the Alliance can be allowed.
"We are meeting today at the NATO Summit in the shadow of a war. The Russian invasion of Ukraine represents a break in geopolitical time. It gives new importance to the Euro-Atlantic alliance and obliges us to move faster to strengthen NATO's structures," the Prime Minister first said and continued: "We are today facing new major geopolitical challenges. And I want to express my satisfaction because the new strategic doctrine, which we are about to adopt, includes in its introduction the protection of sovereignty, territorial integrity, international law and human rights as the value framework on which our Alliance is based."
On the agreement surrounding the Finnish-Swedish NATO membership, the Prime Minister said: "I would also like to welcome the fact that today the Alliance will extend an invitation to Finland and Sweden to become the 31st and 32nd members of the Alliance. Finally, common sense and the good of the Alliance prevailed and any opportunistic and utilitarian attitudes have been overcome."
On Greece's place in NATO, he said: "Greece has been a member of NATO since 1952. We are an important pillar of stability in the southeastern Mediterranean, we are a country that systematically invests more than 2% of its GDP in defence spending, thus shielding not only our own defence deterrent capability but also the structures of the Alliance. As a pillar of stability, therefore, in NATO's south-eastern wing, we have every reason to believe that at this time the Alliance's focus should be on the challenge it faces on the Ukrainian front. We don't need any other source of instability within the Alliance and I think that's something that all our partners understand."
Erdogan: No mention of Greek-Turkish relations at NATO summit
It is noted that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made no mention of Greek-Turkish relations during his remarks at the NATO summit being held in Madrid.
In the short time in which he spoke, Erdoğan did not raise any of the issues he had been raising in the public debate all along, such as the demilitarization of the Greek islands in the eastern Aegean. He reportedly focused mainly on the issues on the agenda of the summit.
According to reports, in his statement Erdogan did not mention at all his revisionist positions on Greek-Turkish issues. He hinted at terrorism, with references to the Fethullah Gulen organization, the PKK, etc. He also referred to the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine, with an emphasis on the inflation that is particularly afflicting Turkey.
So far, all speakers have referred to the Russian invasion, expressing their full support for Ukraine and the need to strengthen support. For his part, the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is expected to make a statement shortly before 15:00 local time. It is noted that Mitsotakis will also meet with the Swedish Prime Minister.
Source: Proto Thema
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