He once again called for a solution that would involve a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation in Cyprus while making it clear to Skopje that they must fully respect the Prespa Agreement.
“This is the first time I am here as the leader of a country that is an imminent member of the UN Security Council,” the prime minister said at the beginning of his speech.
“Our world is becoming less and less safe. In the midst of threats there are opportunities to cooperate on a global scale… Since 1946 the Security Council has not seen significant reform. Today it cannot solve the complex problems of the present and the future” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“Greece will do everything it can to influence stability. A year ago we did not know that the terrorist attack of November 7 (in Israel) would take place. Violence in the Middle East is causing civilians to suffer in Gaza. Greece calls on those with influence to step back from this cycle of violence and for everyone to engage in de-escalation dialogue. Greece supports the 21-day ceasefire… There must be a return of the hostages to Gaza. Israelis and Palestinians must live in peace. It is a condition for the future and stability.”
For Ukraine, he emphasized: “We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. We are in favor of the integrity of all states.”
Regarding Greek-Turkish issues, he referred to the last meeting he had with Mr. Erdogan and noted the improvement of bilateral relations, the Declaration of Athens and the window of opportunity for the settlement of the dispute, the delimitation of the continental shelf and the EEZ in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean .
“Greece, due to its geography, lives in a difficult neighborhood and I have repeatedly spoken about the difficulties and strained relations with Turkey. In the last year I have met President Erdogan six times. We signed the declaration of Athens and we will continue to explore how to improve our relations. We keep the lines of communication open to avoid any tension. Greece wishes to resolve the only problem we have with our neighbor. The definition of the continental shelf and the definition of the EEZ in the Aegean. We have not been able to bridge our differences but that does not mean that they are doomed not to be resolved. I heard President Erdogan say that the determination according to international law is something in the interest of the entire Eastern Mediterranean. I firmly believe that we have a window of opportunity and we must be brave and wise to seize the opportunity,” he stressed.
“Unfortunately, we do not see any progress for the Sunday meeting”, Mr. Mitsotakis noted immediately afterwards and reiterated Greece’s support for the restart of the talks. “A two-state solution cannot exist or be accepted,” underlined the Prime Minister, calling on the Turkish Cypriot community to return to the consultation table and thus responding to the president of Turkey, who asked the UN forum to recognize the pseudo-state.
For the Western Balkans he emphasized: “Greece has always had a vision to reduce conflicts. 21 years after the Thessaloniki agenda, political leaders must act to embrace the future. The revival of nationalisms has no place today. International agreements must be respected, such as the Prespa Agreement. Let’s remember Churchill’s words: The Balkans produce more history than they can handle.”
Mr. Mitsotakis also referred to the challenges from the use of Artificial Intelligence and social networking platforms, especially in the mental health of children.
Watch the speech of Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Mitsotakis to Guterres: Make use of every possible solution to the Cyprus problem
Mr. Mitsotakis met earlier with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres.
During the meeting in New York, the priorities of Greece in its term as a non-permanent member of the Security Council during the two years 2025-26 were discussed.
The Prime Minister underlined that Greece wants to be a bridge between the South and the North, the West and the East, as it is a member state of the European Union, of NATO, and at the same time talks with countries of the Global South.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated his appreciation for the Secretary General’s efforts to restart the talks on the Cyprus issue.
The Prime Minister underlined that every possibility for a solution to the Cyprus problem should be exploited on the basis of the decisions of the UN Security Council.
He also had meetings with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati, with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti.
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