Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis participated in the EUMED9 Summit held in Portorož, Slovenia. After the completion of the Summit, during the joint press conference of the leaders, the Prime Minister responded to the following question:
Dimitris Gatsios (ERT): Good afternoon, Prime Minister Mitsotakis. The MED9 has become a platform for concrete cooperation among the countries of the European South on energy, migration, and more recently, defence and security. How do you see these schemes of cooperation evolving in the current geopolitical context? More specifically, what role should Europe’s southern borders, and the Mediterranean as a whole, play in strengthening the EU’s collective defence and strategic autonomy?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: First of all, let me also thank Robert for the excellent hospitality. Let me answer your question, first of all, regarding the cooperation on topics related to energy, which is an area of great concern to all of us, because it is directly related to the competitiveness of the European economy.
I think there’s a general understanding that we need to move faster in terms of building a common European energy market, that we are still faced, especially the countries of southeastern Europe, with prices that are significantly higher than those that our other member states are actually paying, and that a greater integration of the energy markets through significant investments in interconnections and grids needs to be at the top of our priorities when it comes to our common European energy strategy.
We also had interesting discussions regarding decarbonization, in preparation of the European Council that will take place in a few days from now. I do sense that there is a general understanding amongst the nine of us that we need to balance the decarbonization goals, the ambitious decarbonization goals that we have set, with an equal emphasis on social cohesion and competitiveness, and that we would require a greater flexibility in terms of obtaining the ambitious targets that we have set as a European Union.
Now, on the question of defence, this is a topic that we also touched upon at the recent European Council. Of course, right now, the priority of the European Union is rightly directed towards the war in Ukraine. But I think we all advocate for a 360-degrees perspective when it comes to European defence.
When we think in terms of the new projects of common interest that we consider promoting as a European Union, be it a drone wall or an anti-missile shield, we need to be aware of the fact that the future threats may not necessarily come from the east, but also from the south.
I think we are totally united in ensuring that the entirety of the European borders are equally protected and that any new European capacity protects all member states, especially those that are sitting on the external borders of the European Union.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan
On the sidelines of the MED9 Summit in Slovenia, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with King Abdullah II of Jordan.
During the meeting, the latest developments in the Middle East were discussed. The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for Jordan’s role in the stability of the wider region. He also stressed the importance of maintaining the ceasefire and making progress on the points of President Trump’s peace plan.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis underlined that both European countries bilaterally and the EU should contribute to the implementation of the plan and, above all, to the delivery of humanitarian aid in an effective manner.
The Prime Minister reiterated Greece’s readiness to assist with humanitarian aid and participate in the reconstruction of Gaza.
