Press Office
Athens, 20 January 2023
Visit of 1st Deputy Chair of European Affairs Committee Dimitris Kairidis to Rome
The 1st Deputy Chair of the Committee of European Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament Dimitris Kairidis visited Rome on the 19th and 20th of January, in response to the invitation of the Chairman of the European Policy Committee of the Senate of the Republic, Giulio Terzi di Sant' Agata. This visit took place in an effort to build, at parliamentary level, a strong front of the Member States of the South, aiming to strengthen the presence of the European South in the parliamentary fora. Mr Kairidis held meetings with members of the two Legislative Bodies of the Italian Parliament, as well as with representatives of Italy's largest think tank on international affairs, informing them, among other issues, about Turkish provocation and the dangers it poses to peace in the region and to Europe as a whole.
During the meeting with the Bureau of the European Policy Committee of the Senate of the Republic, Mr Kairidis referred to the role of parliamentary diplomacy, underlining that the European South ought to find the same pace on issues of concern to the South, such as migration and security in the Mediterranean basin, in order to promote more effectively its positions on the European agenda. Referring to the war in Ukraine, Mr Kairidis stressed that Greece is grateful to the Ukrainian people for their fight, as the containment of the Russian invasion taught a lesson to the would-be revisionists. Beyond the war in Ukraine, he added, there are also dangers in the south, mainly due to Turkey's aggression.
In the presence of journalists, researchers and executives of the major Italian corporations such as ENI, the 1st Deputy Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Hellenic Parliament spoke about the escalation of Turkish provocation over the last five years, pointing out the similarities between Erdogan's rhetoric with that of Putin’s before the war in Ukraine. Mr Kairidis noted the EU's delayed response, West's as a whole as well, in the case of Ukraine despite the appeals of the Baltic countries and Poland, and called on our partners to show more vigilance in the case of Turkey. The EU, he stressed, should send a clear message of respect for international law and international treaties, so as not to leave any room for action to would-be troublemakers.
During the meeting with a delegation of the European Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies Mr Kairidis referred to the role that Italy should play on the front of the European South, noting that only a democratically elected government has the popular support to take bold decisions. He also referred to Italy's role as the guardian of the Treaty of Paris, according to which Italy ceded to Greece the sovereignty of the Dodecanese islands, over which Turkey cannot have any claim. Finally, issues of common interest such as the management of migratory flows, the establishment of the Recovery Fund, the energy crisis and food quality were discussed in an excellent atmosphere.
High resolution images
Back