Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said in Brussels on Thursday that Greece will support the territorial integrity of Ukraine if it is invaded by Russia, but firmly believes in the need for open lines of communication.
Mitsotakis was speaking to the press following an informal meeting of the European Council ahead of the African Union-European Union Summit.
“We reconfirmed our absolute unity, our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and our determination to act in a coordinated manner and in consultation with our Euro-Atlantic allies, in the event of an invasion by Russia on Ukraine,” the Greek Prime Minister said.
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“At the same time, we also reconfirmed our faith in dialogue and in the need for all the channels of communication with Russia to remain open…”
Mitsotakis added on Twitter later that Greece has an interest in regional developments “because there are tens of thousands of ethnic Greeks living in Ukraine.”
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“We are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst,” he said.
These statements comes as Greek Foreign Minister, Nikos Dendias, also heads to Moscow on Friday, where he will be holding talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to discuss developments in the region.
READ MORE: Greece affirms solidarity with diaspora in Ukraine amid tensions with Russia.
Source: Ekathimerini.
