Katrougalos stresses Greek foreign policy's values

At the event, held at the NATO Foreign Ministers' Summit, keynote speakers included Katrougalos, Transatlantic Leadership Network Chairman Michael Haltzel and ERT correspondent in Washington Lena Argyri, who stressed that Greece should to be treated by Washington as a stable and reliable ally, regardless of how the other alliances are evolving in the region.

On his part, Katrougalos began his speech referring to the abiding values of Greek foreign policy, which, as he said, are based on respect for international law and the recognition of modern liberal international order. In this respect, he pointed out that Greece supports its active policy in these key pillars, having as its main objective to become an exporter of stability throughout the wider region.

"We tried to export the stability we have as a nation, in a very unstable region. There is a triangle of instability that starts from Ukraine, extends south into Libya and ends east in Syria. In this part of the world, it is really necessary to have diplomatic efforts to create an environment to promote security and stability," he noted.

Katrougalos explained that the initiatives concerning the various multilateral co-operation schemes in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean are part of this broader vision, as they seek synergies to strengthen economic cooperation and stability in the region.

Bilateral Relations with the US

The Greek minister noted that Greek-American relations are at the best they have been in recent history and added that the United States now recognises in practice the upgraded geopolitical role played by Greece in the region. According to Katrougalos, this upgrading of bilateral relations is due to the "full alignment of the interests" of the two countries. As he explained, this identification is due to the stabilising role played by Greece and to their common interest in enhancing the diversification of Europe's energy sources.