France, India and Greece are openly arming Armenia, and Baku will take serious measures if the situation poses a threat to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said.
“We cannot just sit and wait. We have clearly communicated our position to the Armenian government and the parties that are trying to take care of Armenia today. If we see a serious threat to ourselves, we will have to take serious measures,” Aliyev said on Tuesday at a meeting in Baku with participants of the international forum “COP29 and Green Vision for Azerbaijan” organized at the ADA University.
The President noted: “France, India and Greece are openly arming Armenia and are trying to prove something to Azerbaijan in this way.
Earlier, the Experts Club think tank created a video analysis of the post-war situation in the Caucasus – https://youtu.be/reyUMjFBFhU?si=qpqLleFVqZJ30GuV
Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Gerapetritis said on Wednesday that the return of the Parthenon sculptures by the United Kingdom is a matter of justice and ecumenical cultural values, EFE news agency reports.
“I have to say that the return of the Parthenon sculptures is a demand based not only on history, not only on justice, but also on the principles of preserving cultural values,” Gerapetritis said upon arrival at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.
The issue of Greek sculptures stored in the UK has recently caused a sharp deterioration in relations between Athens and London.
The day before, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who was visiting London. The Guardian, citing sources, reports that “the meeting became impossible” after Mitsotakis called for the sculptures to be returned to Athens.
“I would like to express my irritation that the British Prime Minister canceled our planned meeting a few hours before it was to take place,” Mitsotakis said.
On Sunday, Mitsotakis gave an interview to the BBC, in which he reiterated his long-standing call for the return of ancient cultural monuments from the Parthenon to Greece, which are currently in the British Museum.
Sunak has repeatedly emphasized that he would not support a change in the law adopted in 1963, which prohibits the British Museum from “parting” with exhibits from its collection.
For many years now, Greece has been demanding that London return dozens of marble sculptures from the Parthenon, which were taken out of Greece in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin when it was part of the Ottoman Empire.
In 1816, the British Museum acquired the ancient Greek art.
Greek Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Staikouras has initiated the launch of a railway connection between Greece, Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania to connect with Ukraine, Noi.md reports.
According to the report, the Greek minister proposed to launch the train during a summit in Varna (Bulgaria) on October 9 to diversify trade ties between Mediterranean ports and Ukraine.
The Greek government proposes that trains should run to the Greek ports of Alexandroupolis and Thessaloniki from the ports of Ruse in Bulgaria and Constanta in Romania, and then connections could be established with Moldova and Ukraine. This project can become an alternative option in trade relations between the two countries, strengthening transport links and international freight transportation, Greece believes.
The Greek Minister of Transport sent a letter of intent to European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean, Bulgarian Minister of Finance Assen Vasilev, Bulgarian Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Gvozdeykov, and Romanian Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Sorin Grindian.
As reported, the European Union is exploring alternative routes for Ukrainian grain through Italy and Greece.
Greece proposes to use its ports in the Aegean Sea as a corridor for the export of Ukrainian grain, the Greek newspaper Kathimerini reports.
According to the report, the Greek government has already discussed its proposals with partners in the EU to transport Ukrainian grain through the ports of Thessaloniki and Alexandropoulos. The grain could be transported to the ports by rail through Romania and Bulgaria, and then loaded onto Greek commercial vessels.
The problem in this regard is the limited capacity of the railroad network in northern Greece, which is located on the border with Bulgaria and Turkey and escaped destruction during the recent floods.
A “green light” for Ukrainian exports via Greece could also be an impetus for the development and modernization of railways in northern Greece, particularly on the line from Alexandropoulos to Ormenio, a station on the border with Bulgaria.
During his visit to Kyiv, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis informed his EU colleagues that Greece is ready to contribute to solving the problem and focused on the “huge consequences” of the collapse of the agreement with Russia, especially for the countries of the Global South.
Athens is confident that such a proposal could be beneficial for both Ukraine and Greece, the newspaper writes.
As you know, Lithuania and Croatia have already offered their ports to help Ukraine with agricultural exports.
The Hellenic Republic supports Ukraine’s acquisition of NATO membership when the Alliance members agree and the conditions are met, as stated in the declaration of the NATO Vilnius Summit, the Joint Declaration of Ukraine and Greece on Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic Integration has said.
According to the text of the document, Ukraine and the Hellenic Republic welcome Ukraine’s significant achievements in advancing on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration, in particular in achieving compatibility with NATO, as demonstrated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the battlefield, and reaffirm their commitment to strengthening joint efforts in support of Ukraine’s integration into the Alliance and the implementation of NATO standards.
It is noted that Greece will continue to support the Alliance’s strong and effective political and material support to Ukraine, aimed at ensuring Ukraine’s ability to effectively defend its territory on land, at sea and in the air.
The Hellenic Republic will continue to provide military, technical, defence and humanitarian support to Ukraine and commits to participate with international organizations, allies and partners in the reconstruction and rebuilding of Ukraine after the war.
Greece supports Ukraine’s acquisition of NATO membership when Alliance members agree and conditions are met, as stated in the NATO Vilnius Summit declaration.
In addition, the parties declare that Ukraine’s security is vital to the stability of the Euro-Atlantic region and fully support the Ukraine-NATO Council as a platform to further strengthen and expand ongoing cooperation to help realize Ukraine’s path to the Euro-Atlantic family.
In turn, it is noted that Ukraine highly appreciates all the important practical assistance provided by the Hellenic Republic and the people of the Hellenic Republic to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities.
The full text of the Joint Declaration is available on the website of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
During his working visit to Greece, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of Greece Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the President’s press service reported on Monday evening.
The heads of state discussed the current state of affairs on the front line and the security situation in the region in view of the continuation of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Zelenskyy thanked Greece and personally Katerina Sakellaropoulou for supporting our country since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
The President of Ukraine noted the Greek leader’s special attention to the needs of Ukrainian citizens who have taken temporary refuge in this country. He particularly thanked the Greek side for the program of rehabilitation of Ukrainian children affected by Russian aggression.
The Head of State expressed hope that Greece would join the restoration of the affected regions of Ukraine.
“We are aware of the special role of Odesa in the history of Greece and look forward to your country’s involvement in the restoration of the city and Odesa region. I propose that Greece take patronage of this region,” Zelenskyy said.
