28.04.2022, 15:06

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is something that can not be tolerated in 21st century Europe, said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who met with the Prime Minister of Finland, Sana Marin, in Maximou. As he said, Greece respects the territorial integrity of Finland and stressed that its membership in NATO must be a decision of its people alone.

In their joint statements, the Greek Prime Minister said that “the Russian invasion of Ukraine is an aggressive war against an independent and sovereign country, something that can not be tolerated in 21st century Europe. Together with partners in the EU We reacted immediately, to the surprise of many, by imposing unprecedented sanctions on Russia and, verbally but mainly in practice, in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, including the historic Greek community. Unfortunately, the areas inhabited by the Greek community for millennia have received the hardest blows from the Russian invaders. The situation in the coastal area of ​​the Black Sea is tragic and the one that Mariupol is suffering from is beyond description. “Who could have imagined that Europe today would witness such atrocities.”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that “war reports should be thoroughly investigated and the culprits should be brought to justice. “As you know, Greece has already asked the International Criminal Court to investigate the crimes committed in Mariupol and in the villages where the Russian airstrikes caused long distances to our compatriots from the first days of the war.”

The Prime Minister also referred to the recent Turkish provocations in the Aegean, saying that he had informed Jens Stoltenberg about it.

“I spoke with the secretary general. of NATO to inform him about the recent provocative behavior of the Turkish armed forces which violated the national space and made dangerous overflights over Greek such as Chios, Karpathos, Leros and others. And of course I made it clear to NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg that this kind of behavior by a NATO ally is completely unacceptable. “It undermines European security as well as the unity of NATO’s goal, at a time when it is essential that all NATO member states unite, as we will face Russia’s onslaught.”

He emphasized that the decision was not a signal of a formal antitrust inquiry into the recent meeting with President Erdogan, and that it should be stopped immediately. “We will continue to raise this issue in all international fora and I remind you that Turkey has not complied with the sanctions imposed by the EU and all NATO member states.”

“I want to point out that this is not behavior that characterizes a country that aspires to join the European family,” said the Prime Minister.

Regarding the possibility of Finland joining NATO, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the decision depends on the people of Finland alone and that Greece respects the territorial sovereignty of Finland.

According to the Prime Minister, the recent emergence of a new field of cooperation, such as for example the refugee, and how bilateral relations were discussed in all areas.

Marin: “We want to guarantee peace in Finland and in the future”

The support of Ukraine from Greece and Ukraine was also pointed out by Sana Marin, who pointed out that Russia’s military actions have created the biggest crisis in Europe, while calling for more sanctions against Moscow.

As for refugees, he said Finland has received many Ukrainian refugees and stressed the need for co-operation to prevent human trafficking.

He also referred to the debate in the Finnish parliament on its country’s accession to NATO, stressing that the goal is to strengthen the country’s security and that Finland is considering all proposals on the issue of security.

“We want to guarantee peace in Finland in the future,” he said, adding that “if Finland joins NATO, we will contribute to the security of the whole alliance.”