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Athens, 2 June 2022

Meeting of Chairman of Hellenic Parliament's National Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee with Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Finland

The Chairman of the Hellenic Parliament's National Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantinos Gioulekas met with the 1st Deputy Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Antti Rinne and the Leader of the Parliamentary Group of the Left Alliance of the Finnish Parliament Jussi Saramo. The meeting took place in the framework of their visit to Athens, to promote their country's accession to NATO.

In his introductory speech, Mr Gioulekas expressed Greece's unequivocal support to Finland's NATO accession process and then noted that it is important for countries that share common values and principles and abide by International Law, to form a shield against revisionist forces, in order to ensure a more secure future for the upcoming generations. Furthermore, the Chairman of the National Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee referred to the importance of exchanging views on all issues as EU partners, while he stressed that, unfortunately, current developments in the immediate neighbourhood of our continent make it necessary, more than ever, to address issues that require not just our maximum attention, but also our actions in order to preserve sensitive balances. Then, he pointed out that there is ample room to further build on and intensify bilateral political contacts between the two countries, as well as economic cooperation and trade relations.

For his part, Mr Antti Rinne thanked Greece for its support for Finland's decision to become a member of the North-Atlantic Alliance and expressed his satisfaction for the wide acceptance of this prospect not just by Finnish MPs, but also by citizens. He also added that, Finland's accession to NATO would be to the mutual benefit, since his country is rich in know-how and has a highly-trained army. The former Finnish PM repeatedly stressed his country's respect for International Law and the Rule of Law and pointed out that Turkey's allegation that it is harbouring terrorists on Finnish territory is completely unfounded.

Mr Jussi Saramo thanked Greece as well for its support, noting that all EU member states and the US are offering their help in this effort. He added that he hopes Turkey's objections will soon be overcome.

Lastly, the three MPs agreed that the EU must move at a quick tempo to end reliance on Russian energy and to produce energy from renewable sources.