Dendias: Respect for international law key to Greek-Ukrainian relations
Greece supports Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Monday after meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Kiev.
Dendias was attending the three-day “Ukraine.30 Forum,” which on its opening day looked into the “Strategic mission of Ukraine: The path to NATO & the EU.”
The minister said that Greece could become Ukraine’s ideal ally in its EU accession course, and called on Ukraine should take full advantage of all the provisions in the EU’s Association Agreement while continuing to pursue necessary reforms. Part of that included aligning with the EU’s joint foreign policy, he added, and expressed his “surprise that Ukraine is not aligning with it like any country that wants to boost its ties with the EU,” especially in relation to “actions that violate the sovereignty and sovereign rights of EU member-states and contravene International Law.”
Dendias also expressed Greece’s support for Ukraine’s decision to strengthen ties with NATO, however, and that Greece is actively participating in the safeguarding measures for Ukraine through its air base at Aktio, the periodic presence of its naval forces in the Black Sea, and with the forces it contributes as a permanent NATO member.
[ANA-MPA]
