The talks between the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, and the French Secretary of State for European Affairs, Mr Clément Beaune, during today's meeting in Paris at the Quai d’Orsay, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, focused on European coordination to combat COVID-19, the Greek proposal for a European vaccination certificate, the preparation of the upcoming European Council meeting on 25 March and EU-Turkish relations, the EU Recovery Fund, the migration issue and defence cooperation.With regard to EU-Turkish relations, Mr Varvitsiotis stressed the need to adopt a common stance against Turkey’s provocations, and thanked France for its multifaceted support to Greece over the last months, both bilaterally and in the context of European institutions. As he characteristically stated, President Macron's presence in Greece on the occasion of the celebration and military parade in honour of the bicentennial of the Greek Revolution at the side of the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, just a few hours before the European Council meeting held on the same day, is tangible proof of the long-standing ties binding the two countries.Earlier that day, the Alternate Minister also had the opportunity, joined by the Greek Ambassador to France, Mrs Agi Balta, to welcome the President of the Greek-French Friendship Groups of the French National Assembly and of the Senate, Marietta Karamanli and Didier Marie, as well as their members Hugues Renson, André Chassaigne, Catherine Morin-Dessailly, Laurence Harribey and Meyer Habib. During the meeting, Mr Varvitsiotis thanked the French MPs on behalf of Greece for the positions they adopt on critical issues of foreign and European policy, and underlined the timeliness of the slogan calling for “Greece - France - Alliance”. Moreover, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs had the opportunity to exchange views with members of the French National Assembly and Senate on current affairs, such as the response to the public health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Greek proposal for a common European vaccination certificate, the safeguarding of international legality in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the handling of the migration issue.
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