JOURNALIST: What are the main issues you discussed with Mr Jean-Yves Le Drian during your visit to France? G. KATROUGALOS: Our stances are very similar to the French stances in general, and especially as regards common European defence. We discussed that. We believe it is necessary for Europe to have autonomous European defence if we wish for it to represent a global power. There is special interest in this for Greece because we feel that we are being threatened. Tensions exist with neighbouring Turkey, which stated in the 1990’s, for example, that if we expand our territorial waters, that this would be a casus belli. Turkey has a fixed policy of claiming “rights” that are not recognised by International Law. The Turkish opposition is laying claim to certain Greek islands. We do not want a foreign policy that is anti-Turkey, or any other country, but it is necessary for Europe to have a common defence policy and to defend all its borders. JOURNALIST: The first round of presidential elections in the Republic of North Macedonia was marked by abstention. The second round, on 5 May, will therefore be tense. The experts are saying that this is due to the agreement with Greece. Can you explain this to us? G. KATROUGALOS: For three decades now, we have had a dispute with regard to the name of what was known at the time as the “former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.” This mainly had to do with identity and led to surges of nationalism in both countries. In the nationalist circles of that country, there was a rhetoric which claimed the legacy of Alexander the Great. Their airport and highway bore the name of that hero. Therefore, this needed to end. We therefore agreed to a name, to the name “Republic of North Macedonia,” which respects both their interests as well as our own, because they will no longer claim Macedonia's history, nor the legacy of Alexander the Great. They changed the name of their airport and highway. The results of this Agreement are threefold: good neighbourly relations, stability in the region, because we are sending a message of resolving conflict through dialogue and in accordance with national law. Finally, we are able to have a common economic area in the Balkans, of 50 million consumers, which opens itself up to Greek enterprises. More specifically, Greece is playing a decisive role in the region. In order to understand this, it suffices to take a look at a map. Greece is a crossroads between East and West. The country maintains excellent relations with the Arab world, as well as with Russia and China. We want the EU to benefit from our contribution as regards stabilisation. JOURNALIST: At the same time, did you speak with your French counterpart about the energy challenges and about participation on the part of France in a hydrocarbon survey in the Mediterranean? G. KATROUGALOS: Yes. We have built relationships with quite a few Eastern Mediterranean countries with regard to energy issues. Greece and Cyprus are at the centre of this initiative, and each time we add another country: Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. We also try to invite countries which are not located in the region, such as the US. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attended the trilateral summit in Israel. Now we wish to invite France to the next trilateral summit with Egypt. This permits us to promote economic interests, of course, but also to stabilise the region politically. JOURNALIST: Do you believe that European elections will reflect the anger of European citizens? G. KATROUGALOS: I believe that a certain discontent exists since, after many decades of prosperity, there is a reduction in the living standard, and we observe a lack in democracy, especially as regards economic governance. This is what happened with Brexit and Greece, after 8 years of recession and a drop in incomes of up to 40%. We are in favour of integration but against current austerity policies. The current identity crisis is due to the latter. We must develop European policies that are geared towards growth.
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