In a rare diplomatic move, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis visited Damascus on Sunday, becoming one of the first European Union officials to engage directly with Syrian leadership amid the country’s prolonged civil war.
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced today the repatriation of 33 Greek citizens and their family members from Syria.
Specifically, as stated in the announcement, under the coordinated efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Greek embassies in Damascus and Beirut, the repatriation operation of 33 Greek citizens and their family members from Syria was safely completed today, Monday, December 30.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis had a telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar. The two ministers discussed the situation in Syria and agreed to remain in close contact.
The Greek Foreign Minister stressed the urgent need for immediate peace on all fronts and underlined the importance of quickly restoring regional stability, free from any foreign interference.
The Israeli minister, for his part, in a post referred to the content of the discussion he had with his Greek counterpart, underlining the need to urgently protect Syria's minorities, including Kurds, Alawites and Christians.
He expressed his concerns about the fact that the new government in Damascus has not been democratically elected, as well as that “they are now declaring that elections will only be held after 4 years”, while inviting Mr. Gerapetritis to visit Tel Aviv.
In detail in his post he states:
“I spoke with the Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis. We discussed the situation in Syria and I underlined the need to urgently protect the minorities of Syria, including the Kurds, the Alawites and the Christians.
I added that the new government in Damascus has not been democratically elected. But even more worrying is the fact that
they are now declaring that elections will only be held after 4 years...
I also stressed Israel’s intention to secure an agreement for the hostages in Gaza.
I invited my Greek colleague to visit Israel soon and we agreed to remain in close contact.”
Europe maintains a stance of wait-and-see, offering well-wishing statements about a smooth democratic transition and the protection of all national and religious minorities in Syria. This is because the downfall of Assad took European capitals by surprise, and they currently have no access to any of the major players involved in the “great game” that has unfolded.