Athens News Agency: News in English, 06-09-21

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] UNSC begins meeting on Arab-Israeli conflict

[01] UNSC begins meeting on Arab-Israeli conflict

Bakoyannis underlined the "need for a strong message to be sent" to Middle East peoples that "we will work for the prevalence of peace in the region."

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on his part said that it was preferable to pursue solution to the problems rather than to avoid the problems, noting that the Palestinian issue was the "core of the problem".

Present at the meeting was Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Press conference

Speaking earlier at a press conference, Bakoyannis outlined the targets and visions of Greek foreign policy at the Foreign Policy Association in New York, underlining the historic, geographical, cultural, political and economic factors that affect and determine the philosophy of her ministry and of the Greek government in general.

Referring to the Balkans, Bakoyannis said that "we shall struggle to bring the rest of the Balkan countries into the European family as well. We shall continue to participate in missions for maintaining peace, particularly in Kosovo, until the region is fully stabilised."

She further said that "in addition, we are investing in the economies of our region, including Turkey. We are playing a leading role at European level for the creation of special programmes that are aimed at the modernisation of both the economy and infrastructures of our Balkan neighbours. In addition, we are also implementing a national development programme for the Balkans, amounting to 550 million euros, for upgrading the institutions and infrastructures of these countries."

Focusing on Turkey's commitments towards the European Union, Bakoyannis stressed that "there are limits. Limits that neither Europe nor Greece, of course, can overcome. Turkey cannot join the EU with a la carte methods. The European Union, and Greece of course being a member-state, cannot accept anything less than Turkey's compliance with the rules and models of the EU."

According to the foreign minister, the three basic pursuits of Greek foreign policy are the maximisation of national security and the achievement of the best relations possible with all neighbouring countries in the wider region, Greece remaining a force of stability and development in the Balkans, the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean and Greece playing an active and constructive role in the framework of the European Union and the Atlantic alliance.

The foreign minister's theme was "Not an ordinary case:Greek foreign policy at the dawn of a new century."

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