I had the opportunity to be in Rome today and, first of all, to meet with Ms Williams, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Libya. We had an extensive discussion and conducted an in-depth analysis of the situation in Libya today.
I also visited the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme and handed him a cheque to be used for repairs in the port of Benghazi; a facility of vital interest to Greece. Let me remind you that it is located less than 20 minutes flight from Crete.
I also had the opportunity to meet with thirty-five (35) Ambassadors of African, South American and Asian countries, who have concurrent accreditation to Greece and to outline the longstanding Greek positions on national issues, but also to ask for the vote of their countries – the ones that until today have not made a pledge – in our campaign to be elected to the United Nations Security Council for the 2025-2026 term.
JOURNALIST: Minister, there was, however, a meeting between Mr. Çavuşoğlu and his Finnish counterpart, where the Turkish Foreign Minister referred to the migration issue employing the usual rhetoric.
N. DENDIAS: I have not read the Turkish Minister’s statements, and I will call my friend and counterpart [the Finnish Foreign Minister] so that he tells me what the Turkish Minister told him. But let me be clear. The last thing Greece needs is lessons and teachings from Turkey on human rights and the management of the migration issue. It is Turkey, I repeat, Turkey, which has instrumentalized migration and used refugees as a weapon to blackmail both the EU and Greece. Therefore, it is not entitled to speak – to quote a phrase from the past.
