I would like to thank the
President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth
session, Mr. Ali Abdussalam Treki of Libya, for his
tireless efforts in taking forward the Assembly’s work
and to congratulate you, Sir, on your election as
President at the sixty-fifth session.
I would also like at this point to fully align my
country’s positions with those expressed in the
statement of the European Union (EU). It is my firm
belief that the General Assembly would greatly benefit
from arrangements that would allow EU
representatives to fulfil their responsibilities in an
effective manner at formal meetings.
We can all agree that the United Nations is the
only global entity that commands universal legitimacy
and is the Organization to which we should all look,
and actively support, in order to provide collective and
therefore optimal solutions to the ever-growing array
of multifaceted issues confronting us. It is a fact that
meeting the needs of our peoples increasingly
transcends the abilities of individual nation-States.
That is where the role of the United Nations comes to
the fore, and it is why our discussions on reforming
and revitalizing the Organization are of paramount
importance.
Climate change is the world’s greatest
environmental challenge. We all know that it will
increasingly affect all aspects of our lives, including
peace and security. We now need to focus all efforts in
order to secure a successful outcome of the upcoming
summit in Cancún.
The Greek Government is proposing a new
Mediterranean Climate Change Initiative, in close
collaboration with Mediterranean countries that are
strongly committed to climate and energy security. A
formal launch of the Initiative is planned on
22 October in Athens, ahead of the Cancún summit. In
the same vein, the central theme of our Chairmanship-
in-Office of the Organization of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation is “the Black Sea turns green”.
The recent global economic and financial crisis
has left few countries unaffected. Greece was no
exception, despite the tough and radical reform agenda
we are implementing that is setting the country steadily
back on its feet. Efforts for a more efficient and
concrete global financial regulatory framework are
necessary. In that regard, I welcome the results of the
High-level Meeting on the Millennium Development
Goals, and I commend the Secretary-General for his
timely initiative.
Greece continues to support all efforts for an
effective and efficient Human Rights Council with
enhanced status, mandate, structures and membership.
Greece will actively defend the relevance of the
Human Rights Council through its candidacy for the
years 2012 to 2015.
Promoting effective interaction and coordination
between the United Nations and regional organizations
must be one of our key priorities. We consider the
upcoming 2010 summit of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) a major
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milestone in the European security dialogue — the
well-known Corfu Process, launched by the Greek
OSCE Chairmanship in 2009.
Greece has made a commitment especially to our
region and its people. A key factor for bringing
stability and development to our region is good-
neighbourliness, a fundamental principle that together
with the other principles set out in the Charter of the
United Nations constitutes the cornerstone of
contemporary international legal order.
The Balkans —our immediate neighbourhood —
is still a sensitive area in terms of stability. The dust
from the dissolution of Yugoslavia has not yet settled.
Greece’s vision for the Balkans is of a region in which
democracy finally becomes the norm, where citizens’
aspirations can finally be realized through peaceful and
democratic practices, where the rights of minorities are
respected, and where Governments are accountable,
economies are transparent and politics allow for the
fullest participation of all elements of society.
In order to breathe new life into the prospect of
the Balkans’ integration into the European Union,
Greece has put forward a new initiative known as
Agenda 2014. There are still open wounds in our
region — Kosovo being the most pressing — and we
must ensure that this time the European Union will be
present with a strong voice. The European prospect for
our entire region can boost the political process that is
about to begin on Kosovo. At the same time, we need
to keep an open and clear path for Serbia to begin
accession negotiations with the European Union.
Another open issue in the Balkans revolves
around the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia. That is not a bilateral, pedantic dispute
about historic symbols, as some may try to portray it,
but a regional question with deep historical roots
related to good-neighbourliness. A compromise on the
name issue is needed. Greece has already done its part.
A fair and lasting solution can be based only on a name
with a geographic qualifier to be used for all purposes,
erga omnes. Let me explain why.
Macedonia is a large geographic region, most of
which lies in Greece. A small part is in the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and a smaller part in
Bulgaria. The part cannot represent the whole, and the
exclusive claims of the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia to the name “Macedonia” cannot be
allowed to fuel nationalism. Any solution must be
universally implemented, because otherwise today’s
situation will simply be perpetuated. We have
intensified our efforts to reach a settlement in the
context of the established United Nations negotiating
process, led by Mr. Nimetz.
I chose the General Assembly, which is the
natural forum for solving international disputes, to
declare once again Greece’s readiness to reach a
solution, even tomorrow, and to call upon Prime
Minister Gruevski to display leadership and become
our partner for progress, progress that will result in a
bright and prosperous future for our neighbours in the
European Union — a future we wish to see become a
reality soon. Greece is extending a hand of friendship
and cooperation. The time has come for our neighbours
to take that hand.
The Arab-Israeli conflict is again at a turning
point. The resumption of direct talks was a significant
achievement, but only the beginning. Now our number
one priority is to sustain that dialogue and for it to bear
fruit. Both sides have an obligation to show respect for
that fragile diplomatic process. Actions that threaten its
very existence, like Israeli settlement construction,
must be avoided in order to prevent the negotiations
from becoming one more exercise in futility.
I would like to thank the Secretary-General and
all those who labour with him for a just solution in
Cyprus, a solution based on United Nations resolutions
for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with one
international personality, one citizenship and one
sovereignty, a solution in full conformity with the
acquis communautaire.
Cyprus is a tragic example of where our shared
sense of justice — our shared code of values — has
gone astray. Cyprus is the victim of military invasion
and remains occupied by foreign troops. That is the
truth; that is reality, and it must end. We need to move
beyond that situation. It will take courage from
everyone involved. It is a matter of political will,
resolution and determination, such as that displayed by
President Christofias.
I extend my appeal to the Turkish Cypriots. We
want you near us, in our wider European family. The
participation of a reunited Cyprus in the European
Union means that every Cypriot enjoys safety, equality
under the law, protection of their human rights,
appropriate representation and security under a
European roof. Let me be clear: in the modern
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European environment, relics of the past, such as
guarantor Powers, seem and sound anachronistic and
completely out of touch.
Turkey can prove its commitment to a lasting
solution to the Cyprus issue by withdrawing its
occupation forces from the island, thus boosting both
the negotiation process and its own European
perspective.
Greek-Turkish relations are an important
parameter for the stability of the region. Burdened by a
heavy historical past as we are, it is not an easy task to
change course and turn a long-standing rivalry into
good-neighbourliness, free from the threat of the use of
force or unfounded territorial claims. Respect for
international law is the sole basis for a healthy and
peaceful relationship between our two countries.
We have opened a dialogue, one that is honest,
and although we may and do differ on many issues,
such as how we see Cyprus and how we approach our
bilateral relations, this open approach can only lead to
a progressive resolution of our problems. The Turkish
leadership and the people of Turkey know we are
honest in what we say and in our desire for a new and
peaceful relationship. I strongly believe our mutual
interests can outweigh our political differences. We can
and must resolve these differences through peaceful
means, and a possible way to go is through the
International Court of Justice.
I do not want to give the false impression that all
our problems have suddenly been resolved. It is most
distressing that a variety of statements and acts still
undermine this very genuine and difficult effort. The
long-standing threat of war, the casus belli against my
country, is unacceptable and has no place in our
European and global family of values and principles.
There are those who certainly may wish that our
efforts fail, but it is our historical duty to overcome
those difficulties and maintain the momentum in
response to our peoples’ mandate and their desire for
peace.
We look forward to the day when Belgrade and
Pristina will be an easy bus ride away, when Jerusalem
and Damascus, Athens and Ankara and, of course, the
two parts of divided Nicosia will no longer be
separated by fear and suspicion, but will be joined in
peace. Those were the words used and the vision
expressed by George Papandreou, today’s Prime
Minister of Greece, in his very first address to the
General Assembly as Greek Foreign Minister in 1999
(see A/54/PV.9). Allow me repeat those words and
vision in my first address to this body in the same
capacity. This is a wish and vision that, I think, we all
share.