In an environment of instability and uncertainty, Greece aims to serve as a bridge between North and South, East and West and to act as a stabilizing factor, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency on Monday.

Marking the beginning of Greece’s term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on January 1, he added that Greece’s aim in assuming its mandate is to keep the Cyprus problem on the active agenda of the UN.

In a world full of divisions “a united European Cyprus, apart from the conditions of prosperity it would create for its citizens, would be an extremely powerful universal symbol”.

According to Gerapetritis, “diplomacy is either conducted purely on the basis of international law or it is not diplomacy” and this, he says, will be Greece’s motto at the Security Council, while stressing that everyone will be called upon to demonstrate faith in international legitimacy.

He noted that the situation in Syria remains extremely volatile and it is absolutely necessary the transition there to be smooth, free from foreign interference, adding that Greece attaches particular importance to ensuring the security of the Greek diaspora members, the protection of the Greek Orthodox community, as well as to ending the refugee flows and their reversal, and for this reason it is taking initiatives for a more active presence of the European Union in Syria.

Regarding the Greek-Turkish dialogue, he stressed that the positions of Athens and Ankara on the scope of the debate continue to diverge substantially. But, he adds, regardless of whether the demarcation debate is launched, “we still believe that inaction and immobility cannot be an option”.

“The search for peace, with respect for international law and without concessions to the national rights of our homeland, is our commitment and obligation to present and future generations,” he added.

Regarding the Cyprus problem, the Greek Foreign Minister said that we are in a period of significant mobility.

He noted that the Greek government has set as a first foreign policy objective to bring the Cyprus problem back to the forefront of international politics and, in particular, to the forefront of the priorities of the United Nations.

“Initially, a Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Cyprus problem was appointed. Recently, under the auspices of Antonio Guterres, an informal meeting was held between the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot leader and will be followed by an enlarged meeting”.

“Taking over at the Security Council from 1 January, our aim is to keep the Cyprus problem on the active agenda of the UN. In synergy with the Republic of Cyprus, we support the efforts of the UN Secretary General and look forward to contributing constructively to the dialogue for a just, viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem in the framework of the Security Council Resolutions”, he noted, stressing that in a world full of divisions “a united European Cyprus, in addition to the prosperity it would create for its citizens, would be an extremely powerful universal symbol”.