Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met on Thursday with the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority Mohammad Ibrahim Shtayyeh, shortly before his participation in the International Humanitarian Conference for Gaza’s Civilian Population taking place in Paris.
During the meeting they discussed the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The Greek prime minister reiterated his increasing concern over civilian losses in Gaza and underlined the need for a “humanitarian pause” in order to have a smooth flow of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis also pointed out Greece’s willingness to offer humanitarian aid and the fact that Greece is in contact with the Republic of Cyprus and others partners involved about the possibility of creating a humanitarian sea corridor for the transport of aid to the Gaza Strip.
He also stressed that Hamas is a terrorist organisation and does not represent the Palestinian people. He repeated that the only legal represenative of the Palestinian people is the Palestinian Authority, underlining Greece’s long-standing support for a two-state solution in the area.
Finally, he noted that only a political solution on this basis can guarantee peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians and ensure stability in the region.
PM Mitsotakis to Politico: While we recognise Israel’s right to defend itself, ‘how it does so actually matters’
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in an podcast with Politico and journalist Anne McElvoy on Thursday, noted that as Israel continues its “very aggressive military campaign” in Gaza, there will be an increase in “concern over the proportionality of Israel’s response.”
“…While [the EU] has recognised that Israel has a right to defend itself, how it does so actually matters and it matters considerably,” Mitsotakis stressed, adding: “That is why we have also been at the forefront – and when I say ‘we’ I speak about Greece – in recognising the need for a humanitarian pause in order to be able to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, to facilitate with the hostage negotiations but also to allow for people who are currently in Gaza, who want to leave and have the capability to leave … to do so in conditions of safety,” he said.
Noting that he was speaking as a friend of Israel “and that sometimes friends have to speak in hard truths to friends,” the Greek premier said that “at the end of the day we should not undermine what is a strategic goal, to defeat Hamas, but we should also try to consider what will be the day after, what is going to be the arrangement that will govern Gaza the day after…and not make it inconceivable on the day after to talk about political solutions to the problem.”
“At the end of the day one needs to recognise what is the price one has to pay in order to defeat Hamas,” he said.
On Greek-Turkish relations, Mitsotakis spoke of a “different tone” in recent months and said he supported an improvement in bilateral relations and expressed hope that the two sides will be able to cooperate in spite of their sole difference, that of delineating maritime zones.
Regarding migration, the Greek premier said that Greece was enforcing a tough but fair policy and defending Greece’s right to protect its borders, as well as its request for additional economic support from the EU. He noted that he had always been among those that supported further EU economic support for Turkiye, as it is hosting millions of Syrian refugees on its territory, adding that there were mutually beneficial areas in which they could cooperate.
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