Athens , 25 February 2010

Mr. Delavekouras: Good morning. I’ll start with the Ministers’ programmes.

Alternate Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas met earlier today with the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus, Mr. Alexander Downer. As we speak, he is participating in the Prime Minister’s meeting with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, and at 13:30 he will attend a luncheon being hosted by the President of the Republic, Mr. Papoulias, in Mr. Abbas’s honour.

At 09:30 on Friday, 26 February 2010, Mr. Droutsas will deliver the opening speech at a Conference entitled “Greece-Turkey in the 21^st century”. This conference is being organized by the Centre for Progressive Policy Research and will take place at the Grande Bretagne hotel.

At 11:30 tomorrow, 26 February 2010, Mr. Droutsas will meet with the UN Secretary General’s personal envoy for the Greece-FYROM talks, Mr. Matthew Nimetz. And at 14:30 he will participate in the Prime Minister’s meeting with Mr. Nimetz.

At 12:00 on Monday, 1 March 2010, Mr. Droutsas will meet at the Foreign Ministry with Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconsky, who will be on a working visit to our country. This will be Mr. Baconsky’s first visit abroad since he took office with the new Romanian government. They will discuss matters of bilateral, international and regional interest.

At 12:00 on Tuesday, 2 March 2010, Mr. Droutsas will participate in the meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense and Foreign Affairs. This meeting will look at the issue of the ratification of two Memoranda of Understanding, one with Saudi Arabia, and the other with Pakistan.

At 12:00 on Thursday, 4 March 2010, Mr. Droutsas will host a working luncheon for Netherlands Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs, Mr. Frans Timmermans.

Finally, on Friday and Saturday, 5 and 6 March 2010, Mr. Droutsas will participate in the “Gymnich” informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, which will take place in Cordoba. This Gymnich will look at

·       challenges for EU foreign policy in the new phase that the European structure is entering following the enactment of the Lisbon Treaty,

·       the new Common Foreign and Security Policy organs and the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS),

·       European policy towards emerging economies

·       the situation in the Western Balkans, and particularly in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and

·       the future of the Middle East peace process and the EU’s potential role in that process.

Now on to Deputy Foreign Minister Spyros Kouvelis’ programme. Today and tomorrow, 25 and 26 February 2010, he will be participating in the Business/Economic Forum on Food and Beverages, in Bucharest. This Forum is being organized by the Exporters’ Association of Northern Greece (SEVE).

During his stay in the Romanian capital, Mr. Kouvelis will meet with the state secretaries for economy, commerce and business environment competent for energy and natural resources and for bilateral trade.

He will also meet with State Secretary for Global Affairs – including international economic relations and economic diplomacy.

And while he is in Bucharest, Mr. Kouvelis will also inaugurate the Greek school “ATHINA”.

On Tuesday, March 2, Mr. Kouvelis will participate in a conference being held by the financial daily “Express”. This conference is on “Cross-border Cooperation – Opportunities and Prospects”.

Finally, on 4 March 2010, Mr. Kouvelis will brief the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense and Foreign Affairs on Economic Diplomacy issues.

That’s it for the programmes. Your questions, please.

Mr. Fourlis: I wanted to ask whether the government and the Foreign Ministry are satisfied with the manner in which Germany is confronting Greece’s efforts to return to growth and limit financial problems, as portrayed in the German press and in the public statements of German officials.

Mr. Delavekouras: Greece is making a great effort to win back credibility in international markets, first of all, and to be able to put its finances in order. The vehicle of this major effort is the stability and growth programme presented by Greece and accepted by the European Commission and all of our partners in the EU.

Moreover, there has been a joint statement from the 27 heads of state and government, expressing their full support for Greece’s efforts and their confidence that the Greek government can do what we have to do. This is what interests us, and in this effort Greece is asking for the clear political support and solidarity of its partners.

And we are doing this constantly, based on our ability to succeed in implementing the Stability Programme and get the results we expect. And we will succeed in this. We are in constant contact with all of our partners, in constant cooperation, and we believe that the voice coming from all of our partners in the European Union right now needs to be united and to clearly express this solidarity.

Because – I repeat – we are not talking about just Greece and the Greek economy. We are talking about a threat to Europe as a whole, to the European economy, and that is why we need to have a unified stance. But we are not talking about financial assistance. Greece did not ask for such assistance. It has the Stability Programme, which we will implement successfully.

Mr. Gilson: Some questions regarding Greek-Turkish issues, if you would. The first is, whether you believe that the arrests of high-ranking Turkish military officials might cause some tension – resulting from an attempt to shift attention away from domestic problems, as has occurred in the past – in Greek-Turkish relations.

Mr. Delavekouras: First of all, let me say that we are monitoring domestic developments in Turkey very, very closely. When the information on the so-called “sledge-hammer” plan was made public, we immediately expressed our displeasure and concern at the fact that today – at least as recently as 2003, 2004 – there continue to be circles in Turkey, people in important positions of power, that are investing in conflict and tension between the two countries.

We are continuing to monitor current developments in Turkey very, very closely, and naturally we are preparing for every eventuality. We obviously cannot rule anything out, and that is why we are monitoring current developments in Turkey so closely.

Mr. Gilson: There have been various news items to the effect that the U.S. is asking Athens to put pressure on the Republic of Cyprus for certain concessions in the negotiations, so that some Cyprus plan can move ahead.

I would like to know if Mr. Downer requested anything specific of you today, and – second – what the Foreign Ministry’s stance is on a possible trilateral meeting between Greece, Turkey and Britain on the Cyprus issue.

Mr. Delavekouras: The meeting with Mr. Downer is the first that the UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus has held with the new Greek government. It was an opportunity for a substantial exchange of views. It was useful for Mr. Downer to come to Athens so that we could hear, first of all, how he sees the developments in the negotiations.

And, in fact, there was an analysis on his part of where the process stands today; what progress has been made in the negotiations; how he sees things in the immediate future; what the prospects are.

For our part, we reiterated the well-known, firm Greek positions: that everyone needs to support this process; that this process must not be determined by artificial timeframes; that the two sides must be allowed to negotiate freely to find the solution, which, in essence, they will be called upon to implement for their own homeland, the united Republic of Cyprus, within the framework of the European Union. And we reiterated that this solution should be a solution based on the Security Council’s resolutions and, naturally, should fully respect the Community acquis, because that is the environment in which the Republic of Cyprus will continue to function as a member of the European Union.

Because your question raises an issue of Greek pressures on the Republic of Cyprus, we need to set out very clearly what Greece’s role is, and what Turkey’s role is, in the Cyprus issue.

Greece stands at the side of the Cypriot leadership; at the side of the Republic of Cyprus and the Cypriot people. Our support is a given. It is ongoing and non-negotiable. And it is support not just in word, but also in deed, for any manner of assistance that we can provide for the Republic of Cyprus.

That is not the role Turkey is playing in the Cyprus issue. Turkey is playing a decisive role with occupation forces that are on the island, as well as with the degree of influence it exerts on the Turkish Cypriot leadership. And essentially, Turkey could very easily impart momentum to the negotiations, freeing up the Turkish Cypriot leadership and specifically the Turkish Cypriot leader, Mr. Talat, enabling him to negotiate constructively within the framework of the negotiations under the UN.

Greece has a completely different role, and no such issue was raised by Mr. Downer.

As regards the trilateral meeting, at this time no such thing is being scheduled. I assume you mean that there was to be a meeting concerning guarantees – I assume that’s what you mean. There are various scenarios for a five-sided meeting, a quadrilateral meeting, a trilateral meeting. There is nothing at this time.

The guarantees issue needs to be discussed. It has to be dealt with and it will be dealt with. But first we will have to have substantial progress in the negotiations, so that there is a point in having the discussion.

Mr. Gilson: Regarding the support of Athens, did Mr. Droutsas make any observation concerning the fact that the UN Secretary General visited Mr. Talat at the so-called presidential mansion of the pseudo-state. Was there any mention of that in today’s discussion?

Mr. Delavekouras: That was mentioned today, as well, but the Alternate Foreign Minister met with the UN Secretary General two weeks ago, in New York, and they discussed it then.

Mr. Vatikiotis: To what does Mr. Downer attribute the stagnancy there has been to date in the negotiations?

Mr. Delavekouras: Mr. Downer is the Secretary General’s Special Adviser. He is responsible for supporting the negotiations and he did not try to assign blame. I don’t know if that is his role. His role is to facilitate the negotiations.

For our part, however, I must say clearly that our view is that if Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side really wanted us to have progress, we could have progress. It is a matter of political will. It has to do neither with the frequency of meetings, nor artificial timeframes, nor outside pressures.

It is simply a matter of political will. If they wanted to reach a solution – and right now, across the table, they have President Christofias, who has identified his name and his presidency with the effort to achieve a solution – they could do so.

Mr. Vlavianos: I would like to return a little to the Germany issue. You said that we are in constant contact with everyone – cooperation with everyone – and we want the voice that is heard to be united. My phrasing, correct me if necessary. Do you think that Germany, indirectly, is deviating from that single voice that we want?

Mr. Delavekouras: There are many, many voices being heard right now – some from the competent officials and some from other persons. Everyone is expressing an opinion right now on where the Greek economy stands and what its prospects are. We know – and our partners share this view – that Greece has submitted a plan for stability and growth that it can implement successfully. Greece has undertaken commitments to its partners; it has taken the necessary measures domestically so that the Greek economy can be put in order.

Beyond that, the German government has throughout this process supported the unified line adopted by the 27 on the level of heads of state and government. And that is what we will continue to do. But that doesn’t mean that we’ll stop talking. We are talking constantly. This is an ongoing crisis that we have to deal with. We think that it impacts the whole of Europe, and that is why we want close cooperation with our partners. And we have it.

Mr. Papathanassiou: On this matter, are you satisfied by the German Ambassador’s statement today?

Mr. Delavekouras: The German Ambassador stated the obvious, i.e., that a magazine’s front cover, an article or ten or however many articles aimed at creating impressions do not express Germany or the German people as a whole. We are not going to speak on such terms. We have real, serious issues to address and we are addressing them.

Of course, it is obvious that such articles upset us. We are upset by the distortion of reality, because things are presented in a selective manner and are often distorted. But this does not negate our continuous efforts to address the substance of the problem. And the problem’s substance lies elsewhere.

Mr. Fourlis: Mr. Spokesman, the Speaker of the Hellenic Parliament already intervened on this matter by inviting the German Ambassador to discuss this particular matter with him. I don’t know if the Foreign Ministry was thinking of doing something similar, for instance. One might possibly expect that the Foreign Ministry would do that, under different circumstances, or it might have been logical for it to have already done that.

But, in any event, do you intend to have some sort of contact, particularly with Germany, at the level of Ministers or Deputy Ministers or any other level, because we understand that the 27 member states must have a single voice, but not all 27 member states are the same, they do not carry the same weight.

For better or for worse, Germany may have the greatest heft in the European Union.

Mr. Delavekouras: Germany is undoubtedly the largest economy.

Germany’s special weight is obvious and this is why our cooperation with Germany is constant. We will continue to cooperate on all levels, from the level of the Prime Minister – who had meetings with his German counterpart – to all other levels, the level of Alternate Ministers, officials, and of course at the level of Finance Ministries. This cooperation is self-evident, it is constant, there is no question on that.

Mr. Fourlis: When did the Prime Minister meet with Ms. Merkel?

Mr. Delavekouras: He met with Ms. Merkel in Brussels on the sidelines of the European Council.

Ms. Kourbella: Does Greece intent to ask Germany for war reparations, given it has been the only country that has not been compensated to date?

Mr. Delavekouras: The issue of German reparations has not been resolved definitively and I want to make it clear that Greece never gave up on its relevant claims. I would like to say the following: this issue, the issue of German reparations is not linked with the problem we are facing today.

I repeat, the problem we are facing today is the financial crisis. We must face it with the cooperation of all our partners and this does not in any way negate our positions on other matters relating to our bilateral relations with them.

Mr. Gilson: Then what is the Greek government’s interpretation; what exactly does the 1960 interstate agreement cover if not these compensations?

Mr. Delavekouras: It covers part of the reparations. There is detailed information regarding Greece’s views on this matter. But at the moment the issue we are faced with is a different issue and I would like us to concentrate on that. 

Ms. Boudouri: In view of Mr. Nimetz’s visit tomorrow, what exactly do we expect if he does not bring a new proposal as he said? And also, following his meeting with Mr. Gruevski, he said he has observed a more constructive stance on the part of Skopje. Do we have the same feeling?.

Mr. Delavekouras: We are essentially talking about the first official contact of the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy, Mr. Nimetz, with the new Greek government. He will have the opportunity to hear first-hand our positions and views on the way in which we can move forward from now on. It will also be a very good opportunity for us to place these discussions held within the framework of the United Nations on the right foundation.

Greece has stated – and proven with its actions – that it wants to move forward, it wants to reach a solution. The Greek Prime Minister took initiatives, had one-to-one meetings with his counterpart from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. We are trying to create a better climate in the two countries’ relations and I have to admit that we do not always have the response we would have liked and expected.

We think that the rhetoric bred against Greece in Skopje, this systematic effort to present Greece as the enemy does not contribute to efforts to cultivate a positive climate, does not allow us to move forward, take steps forward in order to finally reach a solution on this matter.

Greece’s positions are crystal clear, they are, first of all, logical and aimed at reaching a solution: we are talking about an erga omnes name with a geographical qualifier; a geographical qualifier because we cannot allow a part to represent the whole, and we are concerned by Mr. Gruevski’s fixation on insisting on representing the whole.

An erga omnes name, because otherwise we would be perpetuating the current situation, with Skopje violating the Interim Accord and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, using – at practically every opportunity – a name other than the one agreed upon.

This is the framework within which the discussion is taking place. I cannot say whether or not we see a more constructive stance on the part of Skopje’s Prime Minister. We hope we will see such a stance. We are looking forward to hearing how Mr. Nimetz saw things on his visit there and we hope we will be able to move ahead, reach a solution in order to set our neighbouring country’s Euroatlantic perspective free and in order for Greece to be able to really play the role of a friend, helping them move towards the EU and NATO.

Ms. Ristovska: On the same issue, Mr. Nimetz said that the first thing that should be resolved is the name and then the identity, language, and so on. Any comment on that?

Mr. Delavekouras: Mr. Nimetz did not say exactly that. He said that the most important problem is the name issue.

What we are saying is that the two countries must reach a solution on the country’s name within the framework of negotiations under the auspices of the UN. This is provided for in UN Security Council resolutions and the Interim Accord. This is what we want to do.

And we think that all this talk about an identity is in essence a red herring used by Mr. Gruevski in order to avoid negotiations. We want the other side to come to the negotiating table with a positive and constructive stance in order for us to be able to reach a solution, and we want to reach that solution soon.

Ms. Vidali: As regards the identity and language issue, does that mean that the Greek side accepts a resolution of the issue only with regard to the name and the rest can be resolved by FYROM on its own, as it sees fit, calling the national identity and language whatever it wishes?

Mr. Delavekouras: We want the Skopje leadership to finally come to these negotiations with a constructive stance that will allow us to reach a solution. It is not doing that at the moment. At the moment it essentially refuses to negotiate. It has used several excuses at times to beat about the bush. The excuse mainly used right now is the issue of the “identity” – that’s what we are saying.

Ms. Boudouri: European and U.S. officials, and here I am particularly referring to the U.S. Ambassador in Skopje, as well as the European Union have adopted the view that the perpetuation of efforts to resolve the name issue could lead to the political destabilisation of the country – the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – and the region in general, Kosovo and so on. Do you share these concerns, and what is your take on these statements being made now to the effect that there are prospects for new negotiations to be launched? Are they a means of applying pressure?

Mr. Delavekouras: At the moment, there is a very strong government, a coalition government in Skopje, which represents both the Slavic and the Albanian communities in the country. This government is strong enough to be able to reach a solution on the name issue if it truly has the political will.

So the question you have asked me should really be put to Mr. Gruevski, who opts for the non-resolution, inaction, stagnation; who chooses to raise obstacles to the Greek side’s constructive, systematic efforts to reach a solution.

Ms. Galonaki: Since I haven’t been here since the beginning of the briefing, I would like to raise two different matters.

The first one is: Given the current financial issue with regard to the Greek economy, I would like to ask whether the Foreign Ministry or the government have taken a decision to set up a committee in order to ask for reparations from the Germans for Greece’s occupation during WWII. Because at the moment, we see a certain insolence on the part of the Germans, who have been blocking us whilst saying at the same time that Greece should not be a member of the Eurozone.

And a second question, because yesterday you made a statement regarding the case of a Greek with property in Istanbul, who was finally proven right by the European Commission, whether Greece will set up...

Mr. Delavekouras: By the European Court of Human Rights.

Ms. Galonaki: Yes, by the European Court, whether Greece intends to set up another Committee, for all those Greeks that have a right to property belonging to them, located in Turkey today.

Mr. Delavekouras: With regard to your first question, let me briefly repeat what I’ve already said, because I’ve already answered that: the issue of reparations has essentially not been settled definitively. It is a matter on which Greece never gave up and remains open.

With regard to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights, you should know that the Greek government has intervened in this case, as in many others before that, and intends to intervene in those that will follow.

It is very positive that the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights is being settled, fully consolidating the inheritance rights of Greeks to property in Istanbul. This is why the Greek government will support any such effort, any such case.

Mr. Fourlis: One clarification regarding the programme of activities you’ve just presented. We knew that a Steering Committee with Turkey was due to be held at the end of the month and we were waiting for a visit by the Alternate Foreign Minister at the beginning of March. Have these been confirmed?

Mr. Delavekouras: There are no dates to announce just yet. We are moving ahead with the confirmation of the Steering Committee’s session, which I believe we will be able to announce very soon, as soon as the date has been finalized, to be followed by the Alternate Foreign Minister’s visit to Turkey.

Mr. Bibe: What is the topic of meetings with the President of the Palestinian Authority?

Mr. Delavekouras: Greece wants and has firm contacts with the Palestinian Authority. We are also closely monitoring developments in the Middle East, so this is a good opportunity for talks and for an exchange of views with the President of the Palestinian Authority.

We will discuss the whole spectrum of the Middle East issue, the current state of play, the way in which we can create the conditions to relaunch negotiations; all the aspects of the Middle East issue. And of course we will also discuss bilateral cooperation between Greece and the Palestinian Authority, development programmes and humanitarian initiatives in the region.

Thank you.