Press Office
Athens, 3 October 2023
Delegation from Hellenic Parliament National Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee participates in Inter-Parliamentary Conference on Common Foreign and Security Policy
In the framework of the parliamentary dimension of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council, the Inter-Parliamentary Conference on the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) took place in Madrid on the 1st and 2nd of October 2023. The Hellenic Parliament was represented by the Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Foreign Affairs Stefanos Gkikas and members of the committee, MPs Angelos Syrigos, Ioannis Sarakiotis and Dimitrios Mantzos.
Mr Gkikas pointed out the importance of cooperation and unity in the EU, especially for solving important issues in its neighbourhood, as well as the development of European forces and capabilities, and also the European industrial and technological base. He added that de-escalation of tensions, respect for international law and the promotion of good neighbourly relations are essential for regional stability. Furthermore, he pointed out the need to preserve the territorial integrity and the respect of the sovereign rights of the EU member states. On the migrant issue, Mr Gkikas estimated that we will need to focus on reducing the number of irregular arrivals and on managing migration, an equal and fair manner through a mandatory mechanism of solidarity between member states. He also underlined the need to dismantle smuggling networks and to prevent the departure of vessels that do not comply with international safety standards.
Mr Syrigos referred to the new crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Russia is also involved, and pointed out that since September 20, when the territory capitulated to Azerbaijan, more than 100.000 Armenians have fled their homes, a number that is equivalent to ethnic cleansing. Mr Syrigos estimated that it is in the EU’s best interest to monitor the situation with a field mission to ensure the safe return of Armenians and to have a more active mediating role between Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to avoid a full-scale conflict that would destabilise the South Caucasus. 
Mr Sarakiotis said that the EU missions are vital amid the growing aggression expressed by the revisionist forces in the European neighbourhood. In the shadow of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which brought new challenges to Europe’s entire security architecture, and Azerbaijan’s military operation in Transcaucasia, the turmoil in the Mediterranean and Turkey’s continued occupation of 36% of Cypriot territory, the EU member states should coordinate their steps for mutual benefit.
Mr Mantzos noted that Europe faces many problems on its borders as well as in its wider neighbourhood and added that synergies between the EU countries should be enhanced based on the strategic compass. The support of the European defence industry, with the participation of national industries, is important to ensure strategic autonomy, stressing however that it is not sustainable to maintain a market in which some members states are producers and others only consumers. He then pointed out that the presence of an effective and functional Defence Unit would be a clear signal that the solidarity clause of the EU Treaty is being applied, since the regional borders are European borders as well.
On the sidelines of the conference, a meeting of the Southern Parliaments took place, where the participants expressed their concern about the developments in the wider region of the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on the increased migration flows. Also, at a bilateral meeting held between the members of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Foreign Affairs and a delegation from the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Bulgaria, issues of common interest were discussed, as well as the prospect of strengthening bilateral parliamentary relations.
