Mitsotakis to German Foreign Minister: we are a country that maintains constructive relations with all the countries of the region, this makes us reliable “bridge-builders”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with German Foreign Minister Johann Vanderfuhl at the Maximou Mansion.

During the meeting, regional developments were discussed, with an emphasis on Iran, Lebanon and the wider Middle East region.

The Prime Minister said that Europe should be present in the region following a peace agreement, adding that it should support the Lebanese government and armed forces.

The Prime Minister said that Europe should be present in the region following a peace agreement, adding that it should support the Lebanese government and armed forces.

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They also discussed issues of mutual European interest, such as Euro-Atlantic relations, the strengthening of collective European defence and the new Multiannual Financial Framework.

Mitsotakis: Urgent need not to set a precedent in the Strait of Hormuz

Our urgent need to avoid the Ourom Corfu Strait.
At the start of their meeting, the Prime Minister told the German Minister: “Welcome to Athens. You come at a time of great unrest, so we have much to discuss. We are, together with Cyprus, the country closest to what is happening in the Middle East.

We are the country closest to what is happening in the Middle East.

We certainly have a very keen interest in making sure that this situation is resolved peacefully as soon as possible, especially in terms of maintaining freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. Not only as a European country, but also as a country with a leading position in shipping, we believe it is imperative that no precedent is set, not only in the region, but also globally. And I am very interested to hear your thoughts on the next steps.

We are a country, as you know and as you discussed with our Minister, that maintains, I would say, constructive relations with all the countries in the region, which, in my opinion, makes us reliable bridge-builders. But, of course, to get to the point where we start building bridges, we must first get past the point where we blow them up.

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So making sure that we get to a point where diplomacy is a priority is, I think, a shared priority for our two countries. Welcome, and it’s very good to see you.

Vanderfull: As the EU we have interests in the Hormuz region

We as EU members have an interest in the region in the Omani region.
For his part, the German Foreign Minister said: “Thank you, Prime Minister, for hosting us this afternoon. It is very important to meet in these times, as you said. I convey to you very warm greetings from Friedrich Murch. I spoke with him yesterday afternoon and he asked me to convey his warmest greetings, he appreciates the friendship that binds you. This is also true for our two countries and for both governments, especially for the Foreign Ministers at this critical time.

This morning we discussed at length the situation in the Strait of Hormuz. I think it is absolutely essential that we make our case and play a role as the European Union, because we have interests in that region, just as we have an interest in ending Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.

So I would say, in view of the Greek Presidency of the European Union next year, that we need to intensify our efforts so that the European Union is able to deal with all the threats and challenges that we are facing. And this must be done among friends and key partners, such as Greece and Germany.”