Athens , 26 May 2009

Ms. Bakoyannis: It is a pleasure to welcome the UK Foreign Secretary to Athens. Greek-UK relations run deep and are rooted in history. Today, our countries are collaborating closely within the framework of the EU and NATO. Visits like this one provide impetus for deepening our cooperation on the political and economic level even further.

David and I had a very useful discussion. We exchanged views on international issues as well as on matters of European and bilateral interest. We looked at current developments in the Middle East issue, Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as at issues concerning climate change, ahead of the Copenhagen Conference this coming December.

I also briefed him on OSCE developments; we discussed the matter of the Organization’s presence in Georgia, the Greek Chairmanship’s objectives, and of course the Informal Meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers in Corfu.

With regard to our neighbourhood, we had a detailed discussion of the European perspective of the Western Balkans. We talked more specifically about the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’s aspirations vis-à-vis EU and NATO membership, which presuppose respect for the rules upon which the members of these organizations have agreed, and particularly the principle of good neighbourly relations.

We also discussed Turkey’s accession course. Ahead of December, Turkey’s accession course is at a turning point. It is in Turkey’s hands to make a strategic choice in favour of essential reforms that will bring it closer to the European vision. Greece supports this choice expressly and clearly, but it will not make allowances that might jeopardise the Union’s cohesion or run counter to our interests.

I’ll close with a few words on the Cyprus issue. We had a detailed, in-depth discussion. The negotiations are in a critical phase. Courage and will are required. Most essential of all is the need for a constructive stance from Turkey if we want to see progress. David, I hope the meetings you have in Ankara today and tomorrow will contribute in that direction.

Thank you for your visit, and I look forward to seeing you again soon, in Corfu.

Mr. Miliband: Well, thank you very much for your very warm welcome, Dora. I am delighted to be in Athens today. I have had a secret cultural visit this morning at a very early hour, to see the unsurpassed history of this country at the Acropolis, and it’s a reminder of the centrality of Greece to the whole of European civilisation.

There is another secret, a healthy and welcome secret, which is that in a large number of foreign policy questions, Greece and the United Kingdom have very similar positions.

We are both active Europeans, with a very strong view that Europe needs not only to shape peace and security within its own borders. It also needs to be a force for peace and stability beyond its borders.

I very much valued our discussion last night and today about the issues at the heart of a settlement in Cyprus. That settlement must be by Cypriots and for Cypriots. And the United Kingdom is determined to play only a supportive role for the vital negotiations that are taking place at the moment, and which need to make progress over the next few months.

I agree with Dora that courage and flexibility will be needed in the search for the goal of a bizonal, bicommunal, shared identity, a single identity, which I think is at the heart of the peaceful resolution of the Cyprus question.

Over the last ten years, Greece has taken a strong and brave and clear view about the importance of European enlargement as regards Turkey and the countries of the Western Balkans. And that commitment is strongly shared by the UK, and we think that the European Union will be stronger for the presence of those countries inside the European Union.

I very much valued the report from Minister Bakoyannis about her role in the OSCE. We spent a lot of time last summer talking about the Georgia conflict and its consequences. We are now living with those consequences. I think that the work that the Foreign Minister has undertaken to try to shape a real debate, a positive debate, about European security is welcome and one that we want to contribute to.

I think it is also important to say that we have had some time to touch on the big international issues. We both feel very strongly about the need for progress towards a Palestinian state that can live alongside a secure Israel. We both want the European Union to play a positive role in that process, and we believe that the new drive from the American administration is very welcome and needs to be supported.

Finally, we have also had a chance to touch on the distressing news yesterday of the nuclear test in North Korea. Both of our governments have condemned this in the strongest possible terms, and the UK will remain active at the United Nations in seeking a united international response, first of all to contain the North Korean problem and eventually to ensure that it no longer is a threat to peace and stability in the region.

So there is a lot of work going on, there is a lot of work to do, and I look forward to the meeting in Corfu, which I think is an important occasion for serious and hard work on big issues.

Journalist: Foreign Secretary, I’d like to ask you: Your name is among others that have been mentioned in reports of receiving tax advice from Labour MP Meg Munn, from her husband. I’d like you to respond to those reports. And also your response on suggestions that perhaps it’s time to call early elections because of the expense scandals.

Mr. Miliband: Well, there is no suggestion of wrongdoing in respect of someone with 12 years’ experience of the Inland Revenue in ensuring that all taxes are appropriately paid. That’s what I did, and I think it’s the right thing to do to ensure that the extra forms that Members of Parliament have to fill in are appropriately done so. It’s worth saying that for GBP350 you get your forms filled in. You don’t get much tax advice.

In respect of the wider political situation in the UK, I think that the most important thing for politicians of all parties is to ensure that British politics retains the integrity which I think marks the entry of people of the Labour Party, the Liberal Democratic Party and the Conservative Party, when they come into politics.

The most important thing we have to do is to reform the system, to regain public trust, but also to ensure that the wider political reform that I think is necessary takes place. And that’s something that I know the Prime Minister and the government are determined to lead forward, and I look forward to that debate.

Journalist: I won’t ask about early elections – I’ll avoid that question. Mr. Minister, why aren’t you going to Cyprus during this visit of yours? And the other question, given that you said the EU creates conditions of security for its citizens: Within the framework of the Cyprus process, is Britain considering contributing via withdrawing from the guarantees agreement and offering the territory of its bases for a territorial settlement on the island?

Mr. Miliband: The logistics didn’t work out for a trip to Cyprus on this occasion. As I said to the House of Commons last Tuesday, I would be visiting Greece and Turkey on this visit.

In respect of the UK’s role in the negotiations, I had a very good visit last week from Mr. Kyprianou, and with him standing next to me, I said that one lesson of history was that Britain should ensure that the process of seeking a resolution of the Cyprus issue was one which was done by Cypriots for Cypriots.

And in every decision and discussion we want to adhere to that very important principle. We want the discussions to proceed and to conclude and to succeed. And in that we are playing a supportive and facilitative role. We can come to questions in respect of the treaty of guarantee at a subsequent moment.

Journalist: A question for both Ministers. There are voices within the European Union talking of suspending the screening process of Turkey’s accession course. Whether you believe this development will impact the effort to find a solution on the Cyprus issue.

Ms. Bakoyannis: To date, no such proposal has been put on the table. The agreed process in the European Union is agreed upon and the timelines are clear. That is also why we are once again calling on Turkey to fully implement the Ankara Protocol, a necessary precondition for the opening of the 8 closed chapters so that Turkey’s accession process can move forward, which – I repeat once again – is something Greece supports.

Greece wants to see a European Turkey on its borders. It is in the interest of both our countries, in our opinion. Under the condition, of course, that turkey will have fulfilled its obligations and met all the criteria that are prerequisites.

Mr. Miliband: There has been no proposal for a postponement, and we are not proposing it. We want to get on with the work to prepare for Turkish accession and for Turkey to prepare for accession, and we want to see progress on the Cyprus question.