Greece and Cyprus could play the “bridge role” between the EU and a country such as Russia, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias told Russian foreign-language news agency Sputnik in an interview. “We’ve never waged wars against each other, there have never been opposing powers, we’ve never had any kind of negative characteristics that exist between EU member states. This means that we are the country that could play the role of a ‘bridge,’” he added, noting that both Greece and Cyprus are not only members of the EU, but do not even reckon themselves outside the EU, despite their traditional relations with the BRICS countries. “We are especially connected with such countries as India (in the ancient times), China (when we were two big civilizations and cultures – China in Asia and Greece in Europe for three-four thousand years) and Russia with which we have always had deep historical, cultural and religious ties,” he said. Referring to sanctions against Russia, Kotzias said that Greece spoke up as “In Athens we’ve stopped thinking that there is a European policy without us which would be coming from Brussels to us,” adding that the EU must take Greece’s interests into consideration. “Over the last 50 years, Greece did not have a voice in Brussels as there were no ears to hear it. I think that beginning with January 29 when we discussed the issues of sectoral sanctions [against Russia], the ears of the Europeans opened, and we now, respecting all other member-states, contribute to the creation of European politics,” he said. According to the report, the minister “recalled an ancient Greek myth about Zeus abducting the beautiful Europa, daughter of the Mediterranean, and taking her to the mountains of Crete” as “without this abduction Europe would not have existed today.” Greece believes that economic sanctions are useless in attempts to force another country to change its political motives, Kotzias said. “In the history of the international relations there are sanctions that actually served, but only in the sense that they eased or brought to negotiations. As I have already said, in most cases sanctions are not efficient, especially when they originate from a burst of anger or a wish to subordinate your opposing side,” Kotzias noted. Kotzias said the new Greek government was against sectoral sanctions on Russia while “Other kinds of sanctions were imposed long before we set up our government.” Kotzias referred also to past experiences by Greece: “We should remember the Greek experience. Greece laid sanctions and embargo against FYROM and as you know these measures led to a situation that the only winners were some oligarchs who committed raw materials smuggling. It was proved that sanctions are not an efficient instrument, and they are not efficient in any case,” Kotzias said. Greek Foreign Minister Kotzias has also commented on the new gas pipeline that the Russian side has put forward to replace the South Stream one. “Greece is planning to be a connecting link including the ideas concerning the pipeline that comes from Turkey,” Kotzias underlined. “We think that what is needed is the stabilization of peace in Ukraine and Europe should not come to rupture in its relations with Russia, as well as Russia should also avoid taking actions that do not lead to trust relations with the European Union,” Kotzias added. “In the long-term perspective Russia has to be affiliated in the European security architecture and there should not be formed a security system against Russia,” Kotzias noted. (source: ana-mpa)
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