We had a working breakfast on the Western Balkans, in which I had the opportunity to invite the Foreign Minister of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, to offer his opinion to the Council, to the attending Foreign Ministers, on how the accession process of the Western Balkans will move forward.
Today in the Council we will discuss the situation in Ukraine and the Russian invasion. I intend to raise the issue of Mariupol, the issue of the Diaspora Greeks in Mariupol and the total destruction of the city by Russian troops. I should note that Chechen fighters are currently fighting in Mariupol. Chechen troops have arrived from the Russian side and the city has been completely destroyed.
The Greek government has a special interest due to the presence of the Diaspora Greeks there and we will do everything we can to ensure the future of this community.
Beyond that, we will have a discussion on the Sahel region, which is yet another region that affects security in Europe and we will also discuss the issues concerning the Strategic Compass, the future of our strategic vision and the way for Europe to proceed from now on.
And it is particularly important for Greece what the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said: defence expenditure should be excluded from specific deficit calculations. European defence has now become an issue that concerns everyone, not just Greece.
