Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met, at Maximos Mansion, with the President of Slovakia, Zuzana Čaputová, who is paying her first official visit to Greece.
During the meeting, the excellent level of bilateral relations, which have been strengthened in recent years, was confirmed, while the two sides discussed issues of international, regional and European interest, with an emphasis on energy and the green transition.
The Prime Minister stressed the need for a common response to the energy crisis and pointed out, on the occasion of the meeting of the European Union Energy Ministers on September 9, that the major challenges to European unity require bold European decisions, in order to support households and businesses.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis informed President Čaputová about the infrastructure that Greece is developing so that the country can become a hub for importing and transporting energy to the Balkans and Europe, as well as transporting “green” electricity from Africa.
The Prime Minister thanked Ms Čaputová for the presence of a significant Slovak force in the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) and for the position of principle she maintains in the Cyprus issue, placing focus on the respect of International Law and the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
He underlined that revisionism and changing borders cannot be tolerated, as it has been highlighted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Regarding the escalating aggressive rhetoric of Turkey, Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated that Greece’s firm position is dialogue based on International Law, International Maritime Law and good-neighborly relations. He also stressed that it is unacceptable that Greece receives threats that go as far as questioning the Greek sovereignty from a country that is a NATO ally.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Prime Minister and the President of Slovakia had the following dialogue:
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Madam President, it’s a real pleasure to welcome you to Greece on this official visit, which is a testimony to the excellent relationship we have established between our two countries.
I’m looking forward to discussing not only the bilateral aspects of our relationship, but also the critical challenges that we’re facing as a united Europe against the Russian aggression and of course, the dramatic implication that this war has had on our economies. The rising cost of living, the obligation to address at the European level the rising cost of energy. All these are important challenges.
But I would like to thank you again and thank Slovakia, because you have always supported us, you have always stood on the side of International Law. We count you as a true friend and a loyal ally of our country.
Zuzana Čaputová: Thank you. Thank you so much for your warm welcome. I am very glad for this opportunity to speak with you personally. We met a few weeks ago at the NATO Summit. As you said, our bilateral relations are very good. But I see potential for increasing or deepening our bilateral cooperation in many regards, of course including the energy crisis. I had a very fruitful and useful discussion with Madam President and I’m looking forward to our discussion.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: It’s a pleasure to have two female Presidents. As you know, Madam President is the first female President in the history of the Republic and I think we are sending an important signal in that respect.
