MODERATOR: Good afternoon. The two Ministers will make their statements and, due to time constraints, they will then take one question each. Minister, whenever you’re ready.N. KOTZIAS: I thank my friend Jean-Yves for visiting us. It is a great pleasure to talk with him and discuss our common European future. As I said to him, the slogan “Hellas-France-Alliance” has a long tradition in Greece.We discussed European issues. President Macron’s proposals are well known. We talked about European defence and security issues, about the issues that exist in the Western Balkans, and the Prespa Agreement. This Agreement is a result of dialogue and a culture of compromise. It is an agreement of responsibility to the region and the region’s future. It is an agreement that succeeded in gaining a name – and an erga omnes name, at that – which, as all the minutes of the 2007-2008 negotiations show, was proposed by the New Democracy Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, without success. And in fact, at that time it was not proposed as an erga omnes name.We talked in depth about the Middle East, the hostilities in Syria, about how we see the future and what our assessment is of the difficulties of the situation.We talked about our initiatives. We discussed joint actions for taking certain initiatives regarding the migration problem.We talked about the development our two states’ institutions, such as the various cultural centres. We discussed the further development of our economic relations. We exchanged information on a number of developments in our region.And I think our talks and the climate in which they took place reaffirm, once again, the special strategic role Greek-French relations play in the European Union and in the Mediterranean.Once again, Jean-Yves, many thanks for your visit, which will now continue with a meeting with our Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras. Welcome, and it was a pleasure to have you with us.J-Y LE DRIAN: Minister, dear Nikos, I thank you for having me. I would like to thank you for the quality of our talks and the exchange we had, which will continue in our meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.I must say that this visit is taking place at a very important time, a milestone for Greece. Because, after years of sacrifice and efforts on the part of the Greek people, you have now reached normalcy, because the third support programme expired. And thus, you overcame a crisis that was not just your crisis, but a European crisis. This is why we are always in favour of solidarity.And as President Macron reaffirmed during his visit to Greece last year, we would like – today, at this stage – to assure you of our support in your effort to return to growth, in the spirit of cooperation and in the framework of French investments. We can and must do something more. And right now we are working together to tighten our ties on innovation and SME-funding issues.A second very important issue, of historic importance, that we discussed is the achievement of an agreement on the name of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. We welcome this decisive step and hope to soon see the ratification of this agreement, which will contribute to the necessary stability in the region.We also talked about issues of regional interest. And we ascertained that France, like Greece, regards the stability of the Eastern Mediterranean as a very, very important issue. There are opportunities today. I am referring, for example, to the hydrocarbon deposits that can be a new field of cooperation between our countries and with the countries of the region.And of course, first of all, the disputes that exist on this issue must be resolved. And we propose to take initiatives for dialogue and joint action.Greece and France, as you know, have almost identical stances on European issues. And what is important – and I underscore this – from our talks is that we envision a more sovereign and more protective Europe. This is what we support, and this is what you support.We also prepared for the Salzburg Summit Meeting, which will provide an opportunity for us to revisit the migration issue, a challenge that Greece in particular was called upon to meet and is still meeting.And we share the will that exists for a strong European migration policy that is effective and based on solidarity. And of course we have to be able to handle the migration waves more effectively than in the past. We hope the European Union will provide the policy and the financial support. And let’s hope that the Salzburg Summit Meeting brings results.On many issues, on the vast majority of European issues, we have a complete convergence of views: on strengthening the economic and monetary union, on the European security policy, on civil protection. We are in agreement on all of these issues. And we also discussed some major issues concerning the international situation, including Syria, Iran, Libya, and combating chemical weapons, an issue on which we also have similar, if not identical, stances.And of course I welcome this visit, which is a follow-up to last year’s visit from the President of the Republic, Mr. Macron, which is proof of the high quality of the relations between Greece and France.MODERATOR: Agence France-Presse, please.JOURNALIST: From AFP. I would like to ask two questions. First, Mr. Le Drian. The French chief of staff today stated that you will intervene militarily if chemical weapons are used in Idlib. What is your stance on that?And a second question for Mr. Kotzias: whether you asked specifically for more gestures of solidarity from France, and specifically whether you asked this country to open controlled centres, so these centres aren’t just in countries of first reception. Thank you.N. KOTZIAS: I’ll be brief in my response. We receive solidarity from France without asking for it. It provides it generously of its own accord. What we always ask of France is cooperation. We have discussed and decided on a number of initiatives, including on the migration issue, and we will continue our discussion, as we said, at the UN General Assembly in a few days.J-Y LE DRIAN: The situation in Idlib is very worrying. We discussed this issue, because there is a population of over 3 million, 700,000 refugees, many thousands of fighters of terrorist groups. So this is a bomb that will go off at some point, from a humanitarian and security perspective.This situation can be resolved only through a political settlement of the situation in Syria, which we and President Macron have been pursuing for many months now, so that a roadmap can be drawn up; a roadmap that includes constitutional reform, the election process, the composition of the electorate, the position of refugees and displaced persons, and of course the prospect for reconstruction of the state. But it is very clear that the regime of Bashar al-Assad wants to intervene militarily in Idlib region.And I address a warning to all interested parties regarding the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe this could spark.And regarding your question as to what will happen if chemical weapons are used in the attack on Idlib, France’s response remains the same. And what you are saying about the French chief of staff is nothing new. The President said the same thing at the Ambassadors’ Conference last Monday. In other words, France is determined not to accept any violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. There are red lines that were crossed once, and France’s response was direct. If these lines are crossed again, the response will be the same.JOURNALIST: Mr. Minister, in your statements you mention the issue of hydrocarbons and express the hope that the existing disputes will be resolved. Essentially, I want to ask if France’s interest in and policy on the issue of hydrocarbons, mainly in the Cypriot EEZ, remains firm. And whether you have any initiatives, any thoughts on how to at least soften the Turkish side’s rhetoric on this issue.J-Y LE DRIAN: I didn’t speak of France’s interests regarding this issue. You heard exactly what I said. I said that there need to be agreements in the eastern Mediterranean, joint interests, joint actions, so that economic development can begin in the region through the use of this new resource we have, the hydrocarbons. All of this, of course, in the context of a non-aggressive process that will allow each side to develop cooperation so that these new resources can become an opportunity for the countries of the region, starting with Cyprus and Greece, so they can have a new advantage in the context of their development.So, Nikos and I talked about this strategy, and we agreed on how we should move forward.Thank you.
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