President Sakellaropoulou: Greece remains firmly committed to the promotion of peace and dialogue

23:36 26/10/2024 - Πηγή: iEfimerida

Greece, along with the promotion of its national interests, remains firmly committed to the promotion of peace and dialogue", pointed out the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, who referred to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the Cyprus

issue and the Greek-Turkish relations, speaking at a dinner hosted in her honour the head of the at the Officers Club of Thessaloniki by the commander of the 3rd Army Corps, Lieutenant General Athanasios Garinis on Saturday.

"We live in an era of uncertainty, geopolitical turmoil, intense international rearrangements, bloody conflicts. The ongoing war in Ukraine remains an open wound in Europe. Our neighborhood is on fire, with unforeseeable implications for the future of the entire Eastern Mediterranean. The Middle East looks like a powder keg, while the possibility of a generalised regional crisis is causing global concern. The challenges are multiple and transcend our national borders. In this unstable environment, Greece, alongside the promotion of its national interests, remains firmly committed to the promotion of peace and dialogue", noted Sakellaropoulou.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary from the restoration of Democracy she referred to Greece's position as well as to the Cyprus issue stating that "the final vindication of Cyprus' struggle, based on the decisions of the United Nations and the EU acquis, constitutes our highest national debt".

"This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the fall of the junta, which marked our people, and the beginning of the post-dictatorship era, the smoothest and most progressive period of our modern history. Our country consolidated its presence at the heart of the European Union, being a guarantor of security in the eastern Mediterranean and the wider region. What we have achieved in our long journey, we have achieved by remaining steadfast to the fundamental values that go back to our deep roots, confirming our position among our partners, as befits our history and makes us proud", Sakellaropoulou said adding that "all these fifty years, however, the wound of Cyprus remains unhealed. The hideous Turkish invasion and occupation of more than a third of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, in violation of any concept of international legitimacy, continues to deeply hurt us. We never forget. We remain committed to the struggle to reverse the criminal consequences of this brutality, the uprooting and violent displacement of thousands of Cypriots, the massive violation of human rights, the destruction of Greek cultural monuments and Orthodox Christianity, but also the provocative, to this day, of Turkish settlement of this primordial place of Hellenism. The definitive vindication of the Cypriot struggle, based on the decisions of the United Nations and the EU acquis, constitutes our highest national debt".

She also referred to the Greek-Turkish relations underlining that "Greece, attaching particular importance to the principle of good neighborliness and making every possible effort to consolidate and establish it, has never stopped keeping communication channels open, seeking to strengthen bilateral relations with Turkey through the existing institutional mechanisms with the firm position that disputes should be resolved by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, avoiding conflict situations and aiming at coexistence and mutual understanding between peoples".

Concluding she pointed out that "peace is a supreme good, to which we all aspire. War, the images of desperate civilians, bombed cities, innocent blood, cause us deep pain. That is why the defense armor of our country and the deterrent power of our Armed Forces are of great importance. Not for war, but for the peace and well-being of our citizens"

Διαβάστε περισσότερα στο iefimerida.gr