“We must do everything we can so there is an immediate stop to the hostilities and to prevent a spreading of the crisis, a regional conflagration and the chain of resultant repercussions of war, chiefly at a humanitarian level but also to the global economy, which is under attack due to the tensions in the Red Sea and the insecurity in international shipping,” Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Tuesday, after meeting the Foreign Minister of Lebanon Αbdallah Bou Habib.
“Today, the war in Gaza and the tragic humanitarian disaster shock us and force us to face our responsibilities,” he said.
Gerapetritis said that humanitarian aid to Gaza should be increased and reach the enclave via sustainable corridors that allow an unhindered flow of the necessary aid, as well as the restoration of basic infrastructure, such as water and electricity.
“It is also very important to guarantee the safety of humanitarian aid mission members,” Gerapetritis underlined.
He said that Greece is in contact and engages in political dialogue with all sides, with all the parties involved in the Middle East, the Arabian Gulf and Africa. “This gives us the opportunity to offer good services,” he added.
“We are in contact with Israel, with which Greece has strategic relations and the opportunity to be briefed on the situation,” he said, adding that “we are concerned with the present and future of our relations with Israel and the other countries in the region”.
“…Greece is always on the side of international law, we are against revisionism in all senses and we will continue to strive for the establishment of peace and prosperity,” Gerapetritis said.
He noted that Greece considers the stability and sovereignty of Lebanon to be greatly important and supports international efforts for the strengthening of Lebanon, of its stability and prosperity. “We prove it in practice with the importance we give to UNIFIL, the UN’s peace mission,” he added.
“We also support every initiative aiming at a de-escalation on Lebanon’s south borders with Israel. Greece’s position is that there should be immediate peace in the region and a full implementation of UN Security Council decision 1701,” he said.
He also noted that Greece is at Lebanon’s disposal, in order to assist in making Lebanon’s views being understood in the EU and in international fora.
Lebanese FM: The mother of all problems in Middle East derives from the non-creation of a Palestinian state
The relations between Greece and Lebanon “started thousands of years ago and the development of the Mediterranean was contemporary with the development of both countries along with other countries, said Lebanese FM Αbdallah Bou Habib, underlining the religious ties between the two peoples.
Greece, as he said, can help Lebanon in the stability on the borders with Israel. Currently, he added, “we have roughly 92,000 displaced Lebanese and a respective number of Palestinians.”
As the Lebanese minister said, “Some kind of ceasefire is needed and Greece can help us. Athens is in the right position to play this role.”
Regarding the migration issue, he said that Lebanon has 2.2 million Syrians and half a million Palestinians in a country of 5 million. “Lebanon is facing a fragile religious balance,” he noted.
He pointed out that the “mother of all problems in the Middle East derives from the fact that the state of Palestine was never created, which is very important for all of us living in the region.”
