Following the invitation of the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, participated in the 18th Informal Meeting of the Heads of State of the Arraiolos Group, which took place on Friday in Porto.
During the joint press conference, the president stated, "our reaction, both to the war in Ukraine and to the climate crisis, is closely linked to our fight for our shared values, the well-being of our citizens, our future. It is a struggle in which the European Union must lead."
The following is the full statement of the President of the Republic from Porto:
"I would like to thank the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, for the excellent organisation of the 18th meeting of the Arraiolos Group. In this country, 20 years ago, the first meeting took place, which is now established to be held annually.
"I would also like to thank him for his choice of agenda issues, on which we all expressed our thoughts and concerns. We highlighted the most important issues facing our continent today, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the path of the European Union into the future through multiple and difficult challenges.
"The war in Ukraine was also on the agenda last year at our meeting in Valletta. We all had the opportunity to discuss its implications in various areas, highlighting the risks it poses to stability and security in Europe, as well as the negative precedent it sets for revisionist leaders who would like to immitate this example. Unfortunately, there has been no progress on this matter.
"We are obliged to defend our common European values and principles, putting forward a unified and effective response, capable of coping with the scale of the unjustified attack.
"Contrary to Russia's calculations, the EU reacted swiftly and decisively. Greece fully supports all joint efforts to provide assistance to Ukraine."
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