Greek National Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos speaking to an urgent meeting of EU defense ministers held online on Monday evening asked leaders to act with determination and consider collective, conscious action.
“…Because the crisis in Ukraine tests the limits of International Law, the validity of – and the respect for treaties, but also challenges the very right of states to live freely,” he said, highlighting that current events prove the need for governments to move towards “a meaningful European strategic autonomy”.
Calling Russia to stop its army operations and re-affirming Greece’s continued support to Ukraine, Mr Panagiotopoulos referred to the upcoming approval of the EU’s Strategic Compass initiative in early March, ANA-MPA reported.
“In a few days, it will be approved, which marks a high level of ambition for our security and defense agenda… it will be called upon to prove its value in practice.”
“It is a matter of supporting the defense and security of our citizens, our states and our Union,” he stressed, which “requires determination and collective action. But if we are to create the right framework to forge our defenses, and to actively respond to threats against our own countries’ defense and security, then it is worth it.”
Similarly, Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias spoke via video to the High-Level Segment of the 49th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting, held in Geneva, stressing that engaging in acts of war or threatening to, violates the fundamental principles of International Law and of the UN Charter.
“In particular,” he noted, these attacks “violate the principle of refraining from the threat or use of force, a principle which is blatantly and shamelessly disregarded from specific countries for some time now.”
“Unilateral actions affect not only countries, but first and foremost people,” he said, highlighting that the war in Ukraine is the most serious challenge the European continent has faced in recent years.
“Current events have plunged Europe into an era where such actions have no place… international humanitarian law is being seriously challenged.”
Mr Dendias said attacks on all civilians in Ukraine must stop immediately also referring to the brutal attack against civilians in Sartana and Bugas towns near Mariupol, resulting to the death of 10 members of the 120,000 strong Greek community there, which has also left many injured, including children.
“Against this background, we stand ready to contribute to all efforts for de-escalation within regional and international fora, with the main aim to protect the civilian population and prevent a humanitarian disaster,” he stated.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to address the Greek Parliament about the impact of the crisis in Ukraine, at 11:00 on Tuesday morning local time.
