Athens , 10 December 2009

In his welcome speech today at a conference on “Greek Foreign Policy Challenges and Prospects” – hosted by the Institute of International Relations (IIR) – Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis referred to pan-Balkan cooperation, Greek-Turkish relations, economic diplomacy, relations with diaspora Hellenism and the new challenges of our times, including green development.

Mr. Kouvelis stressed that the Balkans are high on the list of Greek foreign policy priorities. He discussed Balkan cooperation aimed at strengthening the efforts of the Western Balkans to join the European family by 2014, noting that Agenda 2014 includes support for Skopje’s European perspective, on the condition that Greece’s firm positions on the FYROM name issue be respected.

Another Greek foreign policy priority is the further development of our relations with the countries of the wider Black Sea region. Greece will hold the Chairmanship of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) from 1 June to 31 December 2010, and in this capacity Greece wants to contribute to strengthening the BSEC’s role in the economic development of the member states and the region, as well as in strengthening BSEC member-state relations with the European Union.

Greece’s foreign policy priorities are not limited to the Balkan region. They also concern the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean. Our goal is to encourage joint actions for promoting our cooperation with the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean in the sectors of green development and the environment.

With regard to Greek-Turkish relations, Mr. Kouvelis underscored Greece’s desire to promote Greek-Turkish relations and support Turkey’s European perspective, on the condition that Turkey comply fully with all of the obligations it has undertaken as a candidate country to the European Union and all of its member states, including Cyprus, of course. “The resolution of the Cyprus issue,” he stressed, “is for us one of the most important challenges, and I assure you that that we will work hard in that direction.”

Mr. Kouvelis also talked about the new challenges facing Greek foreign policy, one of which is green development. He stressed that Greece needs to be ready to meet the challenges of the new situation taking shape globally, emphasizing the reorientation of the priorities of development cooperation, economic diplomacy and diaspora Hellenism to serve Green Development. In this context, Greece’s active presence at the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change in the coming days is of particular importance, but it is only the one of a number of actions being planned so that our country can participate actively in developments. He also pointed to the importance of capitalizing on Greece’s comparative advantages through synergies in the sectors of renewable energy sources, protection of the environment, climate change research and energy conservation.

In the field of economic diplomacy, our goal is to promote Greece’s economic interests, support investment and business activities and promote exports of products and services. Because of the current unfavourable economic state of affairs, economic diplomacy actions and new initiatives are imperative.