Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has reaffirmed the belief in bring a fair and lasting peace in the war in Ukraine, stressing that the conflict is a global issue.
Mitsotakis took part in International Summit for Peace in Ukraine in Bürgenstock, Switzerland, participating in a thematic working group whose subject was food security, as reported by the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (AMNA).
Government sources state that the PM highlighted during his speech the significant global implications of the war in Ukraine for food security around the world and the importance of uninterrupted provision of basic food supplies.
He added that Greece will continue to do everything possible to strengthen food security by providing sea transport or storage and distribution centres,
Following that, Mitsotakis addressed the Summit’s plenary and said that the 101 countries and international organisations represented there proves, as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands said, that the war in Ukraine is indeed a global issue.
The Greek PM elaborated on the importance of joint efforts in order to avoid destabilising food markets and prices, further underlining that the protection of the Ukrainian infrastructure is absolutely critical to maintaining the level of Ukrainian exports, which in turn are absolutely critical to maintaining global food prices.
He remarked that Greece and many other countries will continue to support Ukraine to defend itself so that the nation is capable of having a credible negotiation that will bring a fair and lasting peace.
Answering a question posed after the Summit was concluded regarding the expectations for a future peace process between Russia and Ukraine, Mitsotakis said:
“First of all, the mere fact that this meeting took place with almost 100 countries participating is an important global affirmation of the need to finally achieve a fair and lasting peace in this war.”
The prime minister added that it is extremely important that the issue be resolved in accordance with international law.
“I think this is a very important, I would say, confirmation of these basic principles, which can ultimately be the only road map for a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine,” Mitsotakis said.
“And of course, a just and sustainable peace cannot under any circumstances, as I said in my intervention, practically mean the capitulation of Ukraine.”
He explained that Greece, like all other European countries, continues to support Ukraine so that it “can at some point come to the negotiating table from a position of self-confidence and not from a position of weakness”.
The Greek PM was also asked about the bilateral meetings he had in Switzerland and what he expects from the dinner of the country leaders in Brussels, saying that:
“As you know, together with the Polish Prime Minister, we have taken on the role of informal negotiators on behalf of the European People’s Party, in order to reach a conclusion on the distribution of important positions of responsibility,”
“Yes, I am optimistic that tomorrow evening at the informal leaders’ dinner we will be able to come up with mutually acceptable names, starting obviously with the nomination of Ursula van der Leyen to continue as president of the European Commission and for the next five years.”
Source: AMNA
