President Sakellaropoulou reiterates Greece's support to Israeli counterpart Herzog
Sakellaropoulou expressed Greece's solidarity to Israel and its people, her sadness over the lives lost during the terrorist attack, and the hope those injured recover soon. Abductions and inhuman treatment are condemnable, she said, and called for the release of those kidnapped and held as war prisoners in the Gaza Strip so they may return to their countries.
Herzog thanked Sakellaropoulou for Greece's immediate support and solidarity, and updated her on recent developments.
In related news,borders must not be violated and terrorist action must receive a reply, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in joint statements on Tuesday with his Estonian counterpart Kaja Kallas.
"There is no room in the 21st Century for more sources of violence, nor excuses for religious and ethnic tensions," he added.
The two prime ministers made statements to the press after their meeting on Tuesday afternoon in the Maximos Mansion in Athens.
European Union governments and the West generally condemn the bloody terrorist attack in Israel and the horrific images of the murder and abduction of innocent civilians, Mitsotakis insisted.
"We recognise the right of those defending themselves to self-protection and we hope that peace is restored as quickly as possible. These are events that not only undermine a just solution in this troubled region, violating the sovereignty of an independent state, but spark tensions across a broad arc of the world map, with many and simultaneous repercussions ranging from a disruption of global security and the economy to a reigniting the Middle East problem. Our position is that, categorically therefore, borders must not be violated and terrorist action cannot remain unanswered because in such cases, equal distance objectively favour aggression and authoritarianism," Mitsotakis said.
Referring to bilateral relations with Estonia, the prime minister described them as excellent and said the two countries shared common values and principles in the EU and NATO, namely a respect for international law and the law of the sea and a rejection of all forms of revisionism.
Mitsotakis said that he had briefed Kallas on the latest developments in Greek-Turkish relations and the Cyprus issue, including Turkey's obligation to cultivate good neighbour relations as a candidate-country for EU membership.
He also underlined the important role of the Alexandroupoli and Thessaloniki ports for the transportation of goods to and from Ukraine and said that migration policy was a "top EU priority" and a problem "that cannot be solved unless its external aspects are addressed."
"We cannot allow the traffickers to decide who enters the EU. We must ensure legal routes for migration," the Greek premier stressed.
He noted the significant progress in trade relations and in digital technology transfers with Estonia, which he said had served as a model for Greece's digitisation efforts, saying that his talks with Kallas had also covered broader regional developments.
"There was a place in our agenda for both the war in Ukraine and for Greek-Turkish relations and the international 'wound' of the Cyprus issue," Mitsotakis said, adding that both Tallinn and Athens steadfastly support Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
Kallas: Condemnation of attack on Israel
The Estonian premier began her statements by condemning the attack on Israel and offering condolences to the families of its victims. Regarding her meeting with Mitsotakis, she noted that Greece and Estonia were geographically far apart but shared a common European vision and common values.
Both countries spent heavily on their defence and had sea borders, she pointed out, as well as being allies in NATO and collaborating within the EU.
She referred to the potential for cooperation with Greece in the digitisation of the state and emphasised the impact of the climate crisis on the country in 2023. She also noted that both countries were on the external borders of the EU and thanked Greece for its support with respect to the war in Ukraine.
"Our reply to this situation must be uniform. Tougher sanctions on Russia are needed, given the continuing war crimes, and we must proceed with a bigger embargo. We must increase defence budgets. We invest more than 3 pct (of GDP) on defence but not everyone does this. We must defend Europe," she said.
