Athens, 3 June 2022

Closing statement by President of Hellenic Parliament during end of SEECP PA Plenary Session

The work of the 9th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP PA) concluded with a closing statement by the President of the Hellenic Parliament Constantine Tassoulas who addressed the delegations of the 12 parliaments-members of the Assembly. 

Mr. Tassoulas underlined that "Greece firmly commits to work steadily in support of SE Europe’s European and Euro-Atlantic perspective, because we believe that this is the only way to ensure long-term peace, conciliation, democracy and prosperity for our peoples." He also stated that "This unexpected challenge, together with the escalating antagonism of non-European (third) powers in our region, calls for strengthening our cooperation to serve our peacekeeping and stability purposes. There is urgent need for new guarantees and new initiatives, as this invasion challenges the entire post-war security architecture."

Montenegro will take over the Chairmanship-in-Office of the organization next year.

 

Closing Statement by the President of the Hellenic Parliament: 

 

Dear Colleagues,

Today we conclude the work of the 9th Plenary Session of our Assembly under the Greek Chairmanship-in-Office, which took place amidst warfare occurring in the heart of Europe.

Unfortunately, the threat considered by Europe as unthinkable and impossible ultimately happened: war.

And this reminds us - as another Greek politician aptly remarked - that mankind, although it considers itself post-modern, practically remains archaic.

We are, thus, going through a hard, grave, unprecedented ordeal, as our generation had never encountered such a challenge. Perhaps mankind is experiencing the most dangerous moment in its modern history.

This unexpected challenge, together with the escalating antagonism of non-European (third) powers in our region, calls for strengthening our cooperation to serve our peacekeeping and stability purposes. There is urgent need for new guarantees and new initiatives, as this invasion challenges the entire post-war security architecture.

The Western Balkans need to join the European Union and processes in this direction should be accelerated. Candidate countries must step up necessary reforms to bring them closer to the European acquis, and the EU, in turn, should work in a distinct, coordinated manner, and clearly move beyond the “safe path” and endorse the so-called "out of the box" approach.

The Western Balkans are Greece’s "economic hinterland" and one of the most important areas of our business community’s activity. At the same time, the EU is the Western Balkans’ main political, economic and trade partner. The European Commission Economic and Investment Plan (EIP), now provides for unprecedented financial support, mobilising around € 30 billion over the next 7 years.

Greece firmly commits to work steadily in support of SE Europe’s European and Euro-Atlantic perspective, because we believe that this is the only way to ensure long-term peace, conciliation, democracy and prosperity for our peoples.

Regional cooperation in all fields, both through regional organisations and through various other schemes, is the most effective tool for socio-economic development and stability, security and good neighbourly relations.

The concurrent energy and inflationary crisis we are experiencing, as a result of both the pandemic crisis and the war in Ukraine, are driving us to jointly seek solutions to protect our households’ incomes.

The increase in cost of living carries the risk of destabilising democracy, as populist voices and zealous demagogues will find fertile ground to "take action", yet certainly not for citizens’ benefit . Our main concern must be to shield liberal parliamentary democracy and to fend off voices of populism and demagogy.

The West, in all its manifestations, and despite all its weaknesses and mistakes, still remains by far the arena of free, democratic and prosperous life development. We all, representatives of parliamentarism, must find solutions to deal with future challenges, which are diverse, complex and persistent; preserving peace and security, tackling climate change, reducing inequalities, dealing with fake news, strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law, and combating all forms of discrimination are only some of them.

Distinguished Members of the Assembly,

The outbreak of war in Ukraine, sadly reveals not only that the fate of human beings is not controlled by reason as the prime tool for resolving disputes, but also that the course of humankind regresses to dark and primitive instincts. Let us all hope and strive for a swift restoration of peace.

The outcome of this war must send a strong message against all authoritarian leaders’ aggression: that historical revisionism and open aggression infringing upon international law will not be tolerated by the world community of democratic states. We will not allow the language of hostility, revisionism and imperialistic nostalgia to prevail.

I trust that SEECP PA Greek Chairmanship-in-Office, -the results of which were earlier presented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs-, has been productive. It is our duty as parliamentarians, women and men, to remain united, and continue to work with prudence, responsibility, insight and dedication, in order to shape a better future for our peoples and, above all, for the younger generation.

With these thoughts, I declare the 9th Plenary Session concluded and wish every success to the Parliament of Montenegro in view of its upcoming Chairmanship-in-Office for the new 2022-23 term.

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