A clear message that Francelike in the past and how it’s repeated through him French Presidentis an ally and friendly country of Greece and will stand in solidarity with threats to its sovereignty,” French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna wrote after meeting with her Greek counterpart. Nikos Dendias, in Paris. “We will be following developments closely, and you can really be sure that we will be on your side,” the French Foreign Minister also said.

She noted that Nikos Dendias told her “of his great concern about the latest developments in the region, threats to the sovereignty of Greece, some statements by one of our partners.”

I mentioned her area Eastern Mediterraneannoted that this is a very interesting area for Greece and France and causes concern.

Regarding bilateral relations, Catherine Colonna spoke about strengthening the strategic cooperation between Greece and France and assured that she will continue with Nikos Dendias the good cooperation she had with her predecessor Jean-Yves Drian.

Summing up the results of the strategic partnership between Greece and France, which since the summer of last year has been complementing the long-standing friendship between the states, the French minister said that from the first months “we have seen the fruits of this cooperation.”

She also expressed gratitude for the solidarity shown by Greece during the fires in France. “This is the solidarity that was shown in practice with two Canadians who helped us a lot in the fight against fires,” he said and recalled, respectively, that last summer French aid to Greece. In this context, he stressed the importance of the EU Solidarity Mechanism and stated that “together we are always stronger”.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, he stressed the importance of a pan-European approach to Russia. “It is important to be aware of the need to fight the fake news coming from Moscow, which seeks to make us forget the causes of the war,” and stressed the need to deal more decisively with the Russian position and consider the consequences of this war in Europe and beyond. “Russia bears sole responsibility for the economic and geopolitical consequences resulting from the invasion of Ukraine,” he added, highlighting the impact of the war on energy.

After all, energy security and especially the latest decisions taken at the European level were discussed between the two ministers. “They are moving in a positive direction and ensuring European homogeneity, taking into account the characteristics of each country,” and we should go even further, said the French Foreign Minister and suggested the need to ensure European energy autonomy and reduce energy dependence, and in particular from Russia.

^{Source: APE-MEB}