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National Council on Foreign Policy meeting

The National Council on Foreign Policy (NCFP) concluded a meeting that began slightly after 11:00 a.m. on Friday, at the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos chaired the multi-party meeting, which Union of Centrists deputy Marios Georgiadis said was held in a good climate and which lasted for three hours.
Katrougalos briefed party representatives in detail on critical issues of foreign policy, including the Cyprus issue and Greek-Turkish relations, while an exchange of opinions also took place.

Statements by Katrougalos after meeting

Greece’s newly upgraded international position can better protect its national rights, Alternate Foreign Minister George Katrougalos said following the end meeting.
Talking about Greek-Turkish relations, Katrougalos said that Greece’s foreign policy agenda is always anchored in international law and for that reason the country does not need to engage in polemics. “ It is the other side that is in need of rhetorical outbursts and of empty provocations,” Katrougalos said, and added that the government is determined to maintain a climate of national accord regarding our crucial national issues.
Concerning Albania, Katrougalos said that Greece continues to support its European perspective on the condition that the country will respect the European institutional acquis and international law but also the rights of the Greek ethnic minority living in Albania.
Furthermore, Katrougalos said, the NCFP was informed on a series of issues concerning the government’s tripartite initiatives in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Greece-US Strategic Dialogue. The latter, he said, confirms the fact that our relation with the US is undergoing one of its best stages and reflects Greece’s image as a country that promotes stability and peace in the region.
Finally, concerning the FYROM name issue, the Alternate Finance Minister told journalists that the NCFP confirmed Greece’s position that the Agreement establishes nationality, not ethnicity.