Greece's President was welcomed in Brussels yesterday at the European Commission headquarters by EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos.
During his visit the President addressed Greek European Union employees in Brussels where he reiterated Greece's position in not willing to accept any arbitrary interpretations of the Prespes Agreement between Greece and FYROM.
During his talk, Pavlopoulos said that Greece pursues friendship and good neighbourly relations with FYROM and that it favours the country’s European prospects and accession to NATO. He added that until the Prespes Agreement has been ratified by the Greek parliament nothing is final yet.
On the issue of bilateral relations with Turkey, Pavlopoulos stressed that Greece pursues friendship and good neighbourly relations and favours the European perspective of Turkey. However, he noted, this presupposes that Turkey fully respects the European acquis and international law in general, including the Treaty of Lausanne and the Treaty of Paris (1947), which leave no space for grey areas. Even more so, he explained, since challenging the treaties entails challenging the borders of the EU as a whole.
On the Cyprus issue, Pavlopoulos stated that this is an international and European matter that needs to find a just and viable solution as soon as possible. As a full member of the European Union, he said, Cyprus could not possibly be in a situation of limited sovereignty, under an occupying force or guarantor powers.
Finally, Pavlopoulos said that Greece is now steadily coming out of the crisis and faces the future with more optimism. “ We are ready to defend not only our European prospect but also our European family, on the uphill road that will lead to the European edifice,” Pavlopoulos concluded.
