Call for de-escalation and mutual respect for borders, especially between countries NATO– addressed today the Minister of Foreign Affairs from The Hague NetherlandsWopke Hoekstra speaking to a small group of Greek journalists based in the Netherlands ahead of the visit of the Dutch royal couple to Greece in late October.

In more detail, answering the question about her attitude Turkey and the President of Turkey, Tayyip Erdogan, in relation to Greece, Mr. Hoekstra noted: “One thing that I called for (…) is de-escalation and mutual respect for borders, and especially in relation to NATO states, I think this is what we are we can and should expect each other, and this applies to the continent of course, but also to the islands, and I know that the sensitivity is mainly about specific islands. I think we all have a responsibility to ensure de-escalation, and I hope that we will ensure that the entire NATO family manages to stay on course, which in general is a course that brings prosperity, stability and peace to the region.”

They were asked to comment on reports that a caravan of thousands of refugees is approaching the Greek, and therefore European, borders and the position of the Greek side that Turkey is using this mobility as a tool, and also asked how Europe can protect its borders in the Aegean . and Thrace, Mr. Hoekstra replied: “In general, an agreement is an agreement. Once you have reached an agreement, you must stick to it yourself, and you should be able to expect others to stick to it. And especially this kind of international agreements, which are difficult to conclude, it is extremely important that everyone respects them.”

He added that the two main things that need to be done in the future are, first, to ensure immigration control, which he says is not being done enough at the moment, at least in the Netherlands. Secondly, he added, “not only Greece, but everyone should expect from Europe that she will be able to take care of external borders.” Mr. Hoekstra also noted that he is very well aware that immigration puts pressure on Greece, like on many other European countries, but since our country is one of the border countries, it receives a lot of direct immigration, which puts pressure on the country . containers.

“Unprecedented level of unity” against Russia

Regarding the energy crisis and Europe’s attitude towards Russia, Mr Hoekstra said he is more optimistic after Europe has shown unity over the past eight to nine months. “I believe that we have seen an unprecedented level of unity in the fight against Russian aggression (…) I am convinced that one of Putin’s miscalculations was the tremendous unity that Europe has shown in recent months. There is always room for different positions, but unity was the dominant principle,” he said and expressed confidence that this unity would lead to solutions even in such complex areas as energy.

As for the upcoming visit of the Dutch royal couple to Greece, Mr. Halkstra expressed confidence that this is a great contribution to the friendship and partnership between the two countries, adding that his grandfather was a teacher of Greek and Latin and loves Greek history himself.

He added that there is a clear understanding between Greece and the Netherlands of how much they have in common and how much more can be done to strengthen bilateral relations. He added that on a personal level, a very good start was made with Nikos Dendias, and personal relationships always help in international politics.

With regard to bilateral economic relations, he noted that the Netherlands is among the top 10 investors in Greece in a wide variety of sectors and that there are ample opportunities for synergy between Greek and Dutch businesses and opportunities for expanding bilateral trade. He added that the fact that “21st century companies” such as Google are investing in Greece says a lot about the attractiveness of the country as a destination for investment.

Asked if he would agree to impose sanctions on Turkish organizations for failing to comply with measures against Russia, he said: “There is a clear logic to staying united with the EU and ensuring discussion with a wider circle of friends, partners and countries around the world.” world, why it is so vital that Russia feel the full force of the sanctions.”

^{Source: APE-MEB}