JOURNALIST: Minister, you met with Sergey Lavrov today. Three years ago, you said that Greece is against increasing pressure on Russia through sanctions. What is your stance on the EU’s sanctions policy, and what impact did the sanctions ‘war’ with Russia have on the Greek economy?N. KOTZIAS: The fall in exports of products created major problems for Greece’s economy, and especially for its agricultural economy. In general, I believe that sanctions are not diplomacy’s most standard or rational tool. Greece is working for the better understanding between the EU and Russia, and to eliminate the reasons that led to the sanctions. I often say that the EU has placed sanctions on so many countries that this group will be the most powerful economic group in the world.JOURNALIST: I have to raise the Athens-Skopje issue. A few days ago, a historic agreement was reached between Greece and fYROM on the latter’s name. This leads to the conclusion that the way to EU and NATO membership is open for North Macedonia. What will Greece do if the ‘Macedonian’ people fail to support the agreement between Athens and Skopje in the referendum?N. KOTZIAS: First of all, I hope they say ‘yes’, because it is very good and balanced agreement. It is a win-win agreement. I think the referendum is a part of the ratification of the agreement, in accordance with the decisions of the leadership of North Macedonia. The referendum must be won in order for the agreement to be ratified. Whether North Macedonia joins NATO or the EU is up to that country. We simply won’t hinder them and we’ll assist them on their European course. Be aware that the resolution of this problem serves the national interests of North Macedonia as well as Greece. It is a problem that has existed for 25 years formally and 75 years in reality. And I wanted to say the following: history must be a school, not a prison or be under imprisonment. JOURNALIST: It is no secret that Greece has been having economic difficulties for some time now and, specifically, according to some forecasts, the flow of tourists can help Greece to emerge from the crisis. Greece is one of Russian tourists’ favourite destinations. How important are Russian tourists to Greece? How many Russian tourists visit Greece every year? What are your expectations in this regard, and are there any special programmes for attracting Russian tourists?N. KOTZIAS: Last year we welcomed over 900,000 Russian tourists. Russian tourists are among the best; they are educated, they love Greece and know our history. We also have a special group of tourists in the category of religious tourism. Orthodoxy is the bond between our peoples. Tourism is one of our biggest industries, as I see it. We’ll set a record this year, with 32 million visitors. That's almost three times our population. I hope we welcome more Russian tourists.JOURNALIST: There is also a trend of Russian interest in the Greek real estate market. Are there any statistics on this? Have you seen an increase in investments made by Russian citizens in Greek real estate? N. KOTZIAS: There is increased interest in Greek real estate, especially from the rich, who are granted what we call the Golden Visa. But I think most Russians are drawn by the beauty of our country and the friendship Russians feel for Greece. After eight years, we are finally emerging from the crisis. We have a 2% growth rate. That’s not big, but it is much better that the negative rates we had. We had the biggest post-war national crisis. We lost 28% of our GDP.JOURNALIST: Regarding the crisis, it was reported in the news that the EU finance ministers – at the end of June, in Brussels – will confirm that Greece is exiting the 8-year support programme for the Greek economy. Does Greece hold out hope of an EU debt write-off?N. KOTZIAS: No, there is not discussion of a write-off. But what the agreement said -when they imposed the measures on us- is that there will be a reduction and better repayment terms. The time has come for them to show their good side. This might be a little difficult.JOURNALIST: I have to raise the issue of the settlement of the Cyprus problem. A short time ago – last year and the year before – the leaders of the Republic of Cyprus and the unrecognised republic of northern Cyprus said we would have progress soon on the settlement of this problem. But there was no progress. What prospects do you see now for the settlement of the Cyprus problem?N. KOTZIAS: First of all, allow me to thank Russia for its positive stance on the Cyprus problem; a principled stance based on international law. What we want is for Cyprus to be a normal member state of the UN. For this to happen, the rights of intervention, or, as we call them, third-country guarantees, have to be abolished. Because, as you know, the northern portion of Cyprus is under occupation by Turkish troops. Formally speaking, Greece is also a guarantor power, along with Great Britain and Turkey. We said that we do not want to have such rights. Turkey appears to be having difficulty adapting to the world of the 21st century. No one can have another state as a protectorate or under occupation. I hope we can finish with this. JOURNALIST: For the time being, as far as I know, Ukraine has a relatively large Greek community. Bearing this in mind, what is Athens’ reaction to the law Kiev recently adopted on education, which is openly critical of Hungary and Russia? Is Greece concerned in any way about the fate of the Greeks of Ukraine?N. KOTZIAS: The community of Greek origin has been there for thousands of years. This region, Crimea in particular, is ancient Tauris. In Mariupol, more specifically, there are 160,000 residents of Greek origin. They had a difficult time during the clashes in the region. We sent them material and financial assistance. We built a Health Centre. We sent children to summer camps in Greece. But the main thing we want is for the clashes, danger, conflicts to end and for the Minsk agreements to be implemented. The matter of language concerns the Romanians and Hungarians more than it does the Greeks. We have publicly expressed our solidarity, we have made written and spoken representations and sent letters. In our opinion, the Ukrainian leadership needs to show sensitivity on this issue. I understand our Hungarian friends – we are distressed and concerned for them. JOURNALIST: In light of the Brexit, in recent years there has been more and more talk of an internal crisis in the EU. What difficulties does Greece – as a member of the Union – see the EU is facing? Can we say that the Brexit represents a crossroads for the EU? In short, what are the Union’s prospects?N. KOTZIAS: The EU has a fundamental problem. It’s agenda at this time is more negative than positive. It has lost its vision and is simply managing its day-to-day needs. We, the countries of Southeast Europe, together with the Visegrad countries, have taken an initiative that I launched and we are discussing the future of Europe. We have to re-establish the foundations of the EU's raison d'être. We have to move people and not limit ourselves to economic cooperation or sanctions on third countries. We have to find ourselves again. You know where the name Europe came from. When Zeus was searching for the most beautiful woman in the world, he found her in Lebanon, not in Europe, and this woman’s name was Europa. We have to rediscover her beauty.JOURNALIST: Greece is the birthplace of traditions in sports, the Olympic Games. As you know, the World Cup is starting in Russia. Would you like to wish Russia success, and what are your predictions?N. KOTZIAS: I hope that everyone who comes has a good time. I hope the Russian people are happy to be hosting the games. And I wish your team the best possible results. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it into the final round, but I came, if only for a day, and I’ll be leaving this evening, before the matches start. Thank you very much.
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