Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ statements following his meeting with the Foreign Minister of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis (Athens, 20.10.2022)

My dear Gabrielius, the Greek government considers Lithuania as a critical and useful partner in our efforts to mutually defend international legality, with a solid basis, shared values, shared principles upon which our European home, the European Union, has been built.
Once more, I’d like to thank you warmly for your visit to Athens today. It is the latest in a long line of contacts between us.
But we have many other issues to discuss at the working lunch, such as the instrumentalization of migration, a threat that both our countries have faced. We will discuss the protection of the European Union’s external borders.
My dear Gabrielius,
A flagrant violation of the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity of that country and of the United Nations Charter.
I also had the opportunity to inform you about the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, about the illegal and null and void “memorandum of understanding” between the Government of Tripoli (GNU) and Turkey, as I briefed the EU Foreign Affairs Council a few days ago. I also want to publicly thank you for Lithuania’s participation in UNFICYP, the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus.
You will also have the opportunity to receive the Prime Minister, Mr. Mitsotakis, very soon because despite our geographical distance our countries have much in common.
A neighbour that claims part of our territory as its own. A neighbour that tells us that they can come suddenly in the middle of the night, a neighbour that states that unless we accept what they tell us, we will suffer the fate of Ukraine.
And we have to stand against any revisionist effort, any ideology that seeks to destroy this order of things that the European Union defends.
A narrative that both Lithuania and Greece have faced throughout their history. They have been confronted with policies such as the one the Kremlin is currently implementing in Ukraine.
Well, Greek society can easily understand, after all this, a people, the Ukrainian people, who are fighting for their independence, their territorial sovereignty.
In Kyiv, I had the opportunity to state that Greek society faces similar challenges. Because we too have a big and powerful neighbour in the East.
Privately, I have had the opportunity to welcome you in Greece a few times before, but I am particularly happy because your presence here today demonstrates the strengthening of relations between our countries.
I am very glad to welcome you today on your first visit to Athens.
I, myself, visited Vilnius in June 2021. And on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations, the President of the Hellenic Republic visited Lithuania last June and I’d like to thank you for the warm welcome she was given.
A neighbour that has issued a threat of war, a casus belli, explicitly against our country. A neighbour that calls for the demilitarization of part of our territory, who has amassed large military forces opposite our islands.
You are the first counterpart I meet following my return from Kyiv, of course, because I only returned this morning, so I’ve had a brief glimpse of the situation that the Ukrainians are in because of the shelling.
I met with our counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, whom you also know very well. Our meeting took place in the shelter of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Our shared principles and values are enshrined in International Law and the International Law of the Sea, which is also part of the European acquis. They are based on respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all the states in the world.
I assured him that all European countries will continue to work together to support Ukraine, that is to defend International Law and the principles of the UN Charter, as well as to jointly address revisionism.
Welcome.
Lastly, we have examined and continue to examine ways to strengthen our bilateral relations. We will discuss energy security. We will continue to share Lithuania’s concerns about the nuclear power plant in Astravyets, Belarus; we fully understand your concerns, it is only 50 kilometers from Vilnius. We have similar concerns about the construction of another plant using Russian technology in Akkuyu, Turkey, an area prone to earthquakes.
We are both on the periphery of the European Union. We face common challenges, common problems. A huge challenge for both countries is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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