Your Excellency, Mr. President of the CzechRepublicand Mrs. Klaus,
I am especially happy to welcome you toGreece. I hope that this very important visit will be successful and that you will have a pleasant stay in this country.
Greeceand theCzechRepublicare European states, one at the Mediterranean and the other in the heart ofEurope, both with a rich history and culture. Historically, relations between our countries have been very good and friendly. Our high level political contacts are frequent and the cooperation of our two governments is excellent.
Mr. President,
The European Union is going through a period of concern and reflection about its institutional and political future.
It is our view that the period of reflection must soon lead to a period of action in order to achieve the political integration of the European Union which will then be able to deal with the challenges of the enlargement and consequently with the big problems facingEurope’s citizens.
The Union needs to be effective in front of such important issues as its inability to identify a strategy combining growth with social protection, the need to adopt a foreign policy respectful of the European values which have resulted from important historical experience, a policy which does not aim at precarious and short term benefits, the need for effective protection of the environment which cannot be achieved unless it becomes clear to all, inside and outside Europe, that there can be no growth without respect for nature.
We are looking forward to the future German Presidency promoting among the governments ofEuropea serious debate with at its heart, the concerns of our peoples who want the European Union to have a stronger international voice for growth and social justice.
Mr. President,
Greecebelieves that the enlargement should continue and that the European Union is able to manage its geographic expansion to the benefit of its peoples.
More specifically,GreecesupportsTurkey’s European perspective as long as this country fulfills all the conditions and the requirements set by the European Union and for which there will be no concessions.
Greecealso supports the European course of the Western Balkans which is the safest way to the consolidation of stability and which creates a perspective for growth.
The issue of Kosovo is of special importance to the developments in the region. The international community is responsible for the smooth transition to a new situation and most of all for maintaining the multicultural character of this sensitive part of the world.
Mr. President,
In relation to theCyprusissue, we remain consistently in favor of a fair and viable solution for the reunification of the island.Greecesupports a very carefully prepared process without time schedules and without arbitration. We wish to make a substantial contribution to bring about the necessary conditions for the start of negotiations. We also expect from the government of our neighbouring country to cooperate for the reunification of the island after the start of the accession negotiations withTurkey.
For the Middle East, we confirm our commitment to the existence of two democratic states,IsraelandPalestineliving in security and peace. For this we need to persist in the effort to achieve progress in every aspect of the Peace Process. On the basis of the relevant U.N resolutions the final status must be the result of peace negotiations between the parties and should not be affected by unilateral actions. Peace, stability and prosperity in the Mediterranean region are of fundamental importance to all of us.
Mr. President,
Your country plays an important role inCentral Europeby taking part in Groups and Initiatives (Visegrad etc.) which aim at continuing the cooperation among the countries of the region. We should also mention the accession of theCzechRepublicto the Stability Pact for the reconstruction of S.E. Europe in 2002 with the support ofGreece.
Greeceand theCzechRepublichave strong bonds of friendship and cooperation.
In the framework of our cooperation in the European Union, Greecehas lifted the limitations to the movement of Czech workers to our country as of May 1st, 2006 while our countries support each other’s candidates in the International Organizations.
Our bilateral relations are becoming stronger in every field and I believe that there is room for further growth especially in the field of the economy. In the field of tourism Greeceis the 3rd most preferred destination of the Czechs and I welcome the important Agreement on Tourist Cooperation which was signed today. I believe that it will contribute in many ways in promoting contacts and bringing our peoples together.
Mr. President,
With the belief that the relations between our two countries will continue to grow harmoniously I raise my glass to wish you and your wife health, happiness and progress and prosperity to the friendly people of the CzechRepublic.
