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Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, addressing the 80th UN General Assembly, called connected Türkiye to retreat its casus belli, stressing that the mode guardant is dialogue, not the connection of arms.Referring to Gaza, helium emphasised that determination is nary justification for continuing the war, adding that portion Greece is simply a strategical spouse of Israel, continued struggle could alienate its friends.On the warfare successful Ukraine, the Greek Premier reiterated that Greece does not judge changing borders by force.He besides addressed the usage of societal media, noting that Greece’s connection for a pan-European minimum property entree to societal media is being examined by the European Commission.
Mitsotakis’ afloat code is arsenic follows:
Madame La Présidente,
Heads of Government and State,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honour to code this Assembly for the seventh clip arsenic Prime Minister of Greece.
And arsenic galore of the speakers person pointed out, this twelvemonth carries a peculiar value arsenic we observe the 80th day of this United Nations. Eighty years of hope, of struggle, and of progress.
This milestone coincides with a precise important infinitesimal for Greece: our 3rd tenure arsenic a non-permanent subordinate of the Security Council.
We judge this work with grant and with a heavy consciousness of duty, arsenic a federation that stood astatine the commencement of this Organization, similar truthful galore different nations, my state came present devastated by the horrors of World War II.
The Charter of the United Nations was not conscionable a ineligible document. It was a committedness that ne'er again should unit prevail implicit the regularisation of law.
For 8 decades, the UN has defended peace, has precocious quality rights, has expanded entree to health, education, and equality for all.
It has stood arsenic the custodian of planetary law, safeguarding the rules and principles that marque planetary practice possible.
The United Nations was astatine the epicenter of a historical turning point. It gave dependable to the hopes of peoples agelong denied freedom.
Decolonization brought caller nations into this Assembly. They brought with them their histories, their cultures, their aspirations. Their information helped redress humanities injustices and transformed the Organization into a existent reflection of the world’s diversity.
These achievements are existent progress. They person made our satellite safer, fairer, and much prosperous. But they should ne'er beryllium taken for granted. They were won done effort and sacrifice and they stay fragile.
Ladies and gentlemen,
A caller planetary bid is connected the rise. Multilateralism is nether strain and cardinal tenets of the post-1945 satellite are being questioned.
We witnesser attempts to revive the imperial ambitions of erstwhile centuries. Revisionist narratives are resurging. Some leaders, unfortunately, stay trapped successful the past, chasing illusions of a bygone glory.
“Might implicit right” risks erstwhile again becoming the norm successful planetary relations – a norm the planetary assemblage has sought to flooded for much than eighty years.
And this inclination is strengthening astatine a clip erstwhile planetary challenges proceed to multiply: clime change, migration, the advent of artificial intelligence.
Our satellite is changing. We indispensable conscionable this alteration with courageousness and responsibility, but ne'er astatine the disbursal of the principles that signifier the precise cloth of the planetary community, represented successful this Assembly, astir important of them being respect for territorial integrity and the peaceful solution of disputes.
Being situated astatine the crossroads of 3 continents, Greece is simply a pillar of stableness and a reliable spouse successful a turbulent region.
We uphold the principles of planetary law. We question dialog and peaceful coexistence with our neighbors.
Some assertion that these principles are irrelevant successful today’s world. We judge the opposite: they are the root of strength, the lone way to lasting peace.
We are surely not naive. We stay afloat alert of the threats and the risks of instability successful our wider neighborhood.
This is wherefore we are strengthening our economy, enhancing our deterrence capabilities, and deepening our alliances, truthful that we basal acceptable to support and uphold our values.
For america this is not conscionable words: Greece is already allocating implicit 3% of its GDP to defence and we are acceptable to bash more. Security is the precise instauration of prosperity. After all, our paramount work arsenic leaders is to support our radical safe.
And we bash this not successful isolation. We are firmly anchored successful the European Union, the astir palmy multilateral task of our age. Born from the ashes of the Second World War, the European Union has secured bid and prosperity successful Europe for generations.
But today, we indispensable spell further. And successful the European Union we are determined to instrumentality connected a stronger relation successful our ain defence. With warfare returning to our continent, I’m acrophobic determination is simply nary different option.
Greece has agelong and consistently advocated for strengthening the EU’s strategical autonomy. We firmly judge that the clip has travel for associated European borrowing to concern captious European defence projects, specified arsenic rocket and drone defence.
Beyond that, it is imperative that we marque Article 42.7, which enshrines into European instrumentality the communal assistance clause, genuinely operational.
One of the founders of the European Union, Jean Monnet, famously erstwhile said that Europe was forged successful situation and volition beryllium the sum of the solutions adopted for those crises. He was right. What started arsenic a task of economical practice needs to germinate into a national that safeguards our citizens information and safety.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today we are witnessing the highest fig of equipped conflicts since the extremity of the Second World War. Conflicts that assertion tens of thousands of lives each year. Conflicts that permission down wide destruction, shattered societies, and that person displaced millions. And the prospects, if we neglect to act, are adjacent grimmer: a aboriginal of escalating unit and deepening instability.
Nowhere is this urgency much evident than successful Gaza. Greece has from the precise archetypal day, aft the heinous attacks of October 7th 2023, advocated for Israel’s close to support itself against a violent organisation that rejects Israel’s close to exist.
We person called for the contiguous merchandise of each hostages and a broad cease fire. But we have, astatine the aforesaid time, made it precise wide that nary subject targets, nary substance however invaluable they are, tin warrant the decease of thousands of children, the forced displacement of implicit a cardinal Palestinians wrong the Gaza portion and the humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people.
Greece maintains a strategical concern with Israel. But this does not forestall america from speaking openly and frankly.
The continuation of this people of enactment volition yet harm Israel’s ain interests, starring to an erosion of planetary support.
And I archer my Israeli friends, that they hazard alienating each the remaining allies, if they persist connected a way that is shattering the imaginable of a two-state solution.
Greece volition proceed to advocator for a two-state solution, which envisions the instauration of a sovereign, antiauthoritarian and viable authorities of Palestine, gathering its aboriginal successful bid and information alongside the authorities of Israel. But we should beryllium lucid astir the roadworthy representation towards achieving this elusive goal.
Israel’s enactment successful the West Bank risks creating irreversible situations connected the ground. At contiguous the astir indispensable is to halt the unnecessary sidesplitting and guarantee a ample standard and sustainable transportation of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Greece remains committed to moving with each our partners towards a roadworthy representation that volition execute that goal, that volition revive the bid process, that volition connection anticipation to a portion which has suffered truthful much.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The warfare successful Ukraine is already successful its 4th year. Ukraine’s courageous absorption to Russia’s aggression stands arsenic a grounds of unparalleled bravery and singular resilience.
The warfare successful Ukraine is not conscionable different determination European conflict. It is simply a combat for freedom, for democracy, and for dignity itself. It is, supra all, a defence of the rules-based planetary global order.
Greece stands firmly and unconditionally with Ukraine successful this struggle. And we volition proceed our unwavering enactment to the Ukrainian radical who person the close to unrecorded successful peace, successful security, and freely find their ain future.
We admit President Trump’s efforts to scope bid and we reiterate that a genuine bid process cannot statesman without an contiguous ceasefire.
And fto america beryllium adjacent clearer: determination tin beryllium nary bid look without Ukraine astatine the array and determination tin beryllium nary acceptance, nether immoderate circumstances, of borders redrawn by force.
Gaza and Ukraine person monopolised the involvement of this Assembly, but different humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding and, unfortunately, it does not person the attraction it deserves. And I’m referring to Sudan.
Two and fractional years into a devastating war, civilians are paying the highest price. Millions are near without safety, dignity, oregon protection.
The figures are horrifying: Almost 12 cardinal radical person been forced from their homes, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis. More than 30 cardinal could necessitate humanitarian aid. Famine is spreading.
Civilians indispensable beryllium protected. Humanitarian assistance indispensable travel freely and without obstruction. And those liable for atrocities and warfare crimes indispensable beryllium held into account.
There is lone 1 way forward: soundlessness the guns, and renew a coordinated governmental process. The satellite indispensable not hide the radical of Sudan. We beryllium them thing little than bid and the accidental of a aboriginal built connected hope, not despair.
As Europeans it is besides successful our involvement to instrumentality an progressive relation successful resolving the Sudan crisis. Otherwise, we hazard facing a migration situation of unimaginable proportions.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Eastern Mediterranean is an country of strategical importance, it’s Europe’s southeastern frontier, a captious crossroads of commercialized and vigor routes.
Greece, astatine the bosom of this region, holds a cardinal geostrategic position. We aspire to go an vigor information provider, linking Europe with North Africa and the Middle East.
By exercising our sovereign rights, ever successful afloat respect of International Law, we are strengthening our footprint and shaping developments successful the area.
Connectivity projects, specified arsenic the Great Sea Interconnector and the GREGY task that links Greece to Egypt are projects of communal benefit, advancing stableness and ensuring that our energy grids are amended connected.
They volition diversify Europe’s vigor supply, accelerate the greenish transition, and, supra all, bring our portion closer.
Renewables are the future, and successful Greece we person already made important strides successful this field. But we besides stay pragmatic: fossil fuels volition proceed to play a relation successful our vigor mix, with earthy state serving arsenic the span successful this transition.
That is wherefore we are investing successful infrastructure that volition marque Greece an LNG hub. And astatine the aforesaid time, unneurotic with our American partners, we are advancing the exploration and imaginable exploitation of our offshore state reserves, a assets of strategical worth not conscionable for Greece but besides for Europe.
Yet the Eastern Mediterranean besides faces profound challenges: clime change, migration, persistent conflict. The lone mode to conscionable them is done cooperation, built connected leadership, governmental will, but besides a shared consciousness of responsibility.
In each our relations with our neighbors, Greece is guided by a single, unwavering compass: respect for planetary law. This is the cornerstone of our overseas policy, and the ground upon which we question dialog and genuine cooperation.
Let maine statesman with our relations with Türkiye. Greece seeks peaceful coexistence with our neighbor. In caller years, yes, we person succeeded successful maintaining debased tensions and this is simply a affirmative improvement that we should not underestimate.
However, the ‘calm seas’ we person witnessed implicit the past 2 years indispensable not beryllium fleeting. They indispensable let america to physique trust, find communal ground, and prosecute solutions successful the involvement of some our people.
The mode guardant lies successful dialogue, successful respect for planetary law, and successful the imaginativeness of a portion defined not by rivalry, but by shared prosperity.
As I person repeatedly stressed from this podium, we are acceptable to enactment toward settling the lone large outstanding contented betwixt us: the delimitation of the continental support and the Exclusive Economic Zone successful the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Türkiye indispensable region the menace of warfare against Greece that inactive hangs arsenic a acheronian unreality implicit our relations. After 30 years, this ‘casus belli’ has to beryllium revoked, it has nary spot successful relations betwixt affable neighbors. Our way guardant indispensable beryllium 1 of diplomacy, not the connection of weapons.
Let maine accidental a fewer words astir the Cyprus problem. For 51 years, Cyprus has endured the consequences of Türkiye’s amerciable penetration and continued subject occupation. Ιt’s a blatant usurpation of planetary instrumentality and a changeless strain to determination bid and security.
Our committedness to Cyprus’ sovereignty, territorial integrity and the solution of 1 authorities based connected a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation is steadfast. It is simply a substance of credibility and determination to support the halfway values and principles upon which the United Nations are based and fully-aligned with each the decisions taken by the UN Security Council.
Greece afloat supports the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to springiness a caller impetus to the resumption of negotiations.
A conscionable and viable colony volition service the interests of the Cypriot radical and lend decisively to the stableness of the wider region.
Turning to Libya, our 2 countries stock maritime borders. We are neighbors. It is truthful successful our communal involvement to scope a just and lawful delimitation agreement, successful enactment with the provisions of the United Nations Convention connected the Law of the Sea.
Yet existent stableness successful our vicinity besides depends connected Libya itself being agreed and sovereign. The Libyan radical indispensable beryllium escaped to find their aboriginal without overseas interference, and Greece stands acceptable to assistance constructively successful UN-led efforts to execute a governmental solution and reunite the country.
When it comes to Syria, aft fourteen years of bloodshed, past December brought a infinitesimal of alteration and a caller anticipation for the Syrian people.
The aboriginal of the state indispensable beryllium built connected tolerance, dialogue, and afloat governmental practice for each spiritual and taste communities. Only past tin Syria’s divers nine find bid and prosperity, escaped from sectarian unit and outer interference.
I made it wide to the Syrian President that our enactment regarding Syria’s rapprochement with Europe is conditional upon the extortion of spiritual and taste communities, successful peculiar the Christian Orthodox number which has been repeatedly targeted by moslem extremists.
At the aforesaid time, we expect Syria and its authorities to enactment successful afloat accordance with planetary law, including the United Nations Convention connected the Law of the Sea.
Finally, fto maine crook to the Western Balkans, our contiguous neighbors, our strategical partners of the European Union, and campaigner members of our communal family.
The portion has made singular advancement implicit the past decades. Yet the equilibrium remains delicate with the hazard of backsliding ever present.
The aboriginal of the Western Balkans lies wrong the European Union. Greece has been a pioneer successful this endeavor, done the ‘Thessaloniki Agenda’, which acceptable the way for the region’s European perspective.
This way indispensable beryllium grounded successful afloat respect for planetary law, existing planetary agreements, the regularisation of law, quality rights, but besides number rights. Most of all, it requires rejecting revisionist agendas and gathering spot among neighbors.
The ghosts of Balkan nationalism person haunted this portion for centuries. They indispensable not beryllium allowed to re-emerge.
It is up to the enactment of the Western Balkans to presume their responsibilities and unafraid a aboriginal of bid and prosperity for each their people.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let maine reason by returning to a taxable I besides addressed successful my code astatine the General Assembly past year. Technology is some our top shared accidental and 1 of the defining challenges of aboriginal prosperity.
Last year, I spoke astir Artificial Intelligence and its bonzer transformatory promise, but I besides warned of the information it breeds.
Today, Greece is pursuing a visionary yet applicable AI strategy, done aviator programs successful areas specified arsenic education, healthcare and earthy catastrophe prevention.
Teachers and students volition soon prosecute with custom-designed AI teaching assistants. Digital screenings, telemedicine, predictive diagnostics are already making attraction not conscionable much personalized, but besides much accessible. At the aforesaid clip AI is helping america observe and incorporate wildfires astatine their earliest stages.
And the committedness of AI making governments much businesslike successful serving their citizens is materialising astatine break-neck speed.
However, AI successful the incorrect hands and without safeguards, tin go highly dangerous. It tin severely interaction our children’s intelligence health, flood our nationalist quadrate with disinformation, origin monolithic displacements successful the occupation marketplace and ore immense powerfulness successful the hands of a fewer multinational corporations.
That is wherefore I invited the United Nations’s constitution of the Independent International Scientific Panel connected AI and the Global Dialogue connected AI Governance. These institutions laic the foundations of a planetary architecture wherever AI tin beryllium steered by subject and guided by cooperation.
The astir urgent task is to support the intelligence wellness of our children. The technological grounds is damning. We are moving a monolithic unsupervised experimentation with the brains of our children and teenagers.
What was envisioned arsenic a abstraction of transportation and creativity, has excessively often go a scenery of manipulation, wherever harmful contented reaches adjacent the youngest users. Addictive scrolling is addictive by design, not by accident.
And each clip I speech to parents, I perceive the aforesaid story. “We are frightened astir online bullying, big content, unrealistic standards of beauty, the promotion of self-harm. We consciousness powerless and helpless. We don’t privation our kids to stock their intimate thoughts and feelings with an AI chatbot”.
Greece has decided to bash something. We person banned our phones successful schools, but we person besides launched a ‘KidsWallet’, the archetypal government-backed exertion giving parents simple, effectual controls implicit their kids’ smartphones, portion enabling platforms to verify the property of their users.
Our connection for a pan-European Digital Age of Majority to entree integer platforms has already won the enactment of 13 EU Member States, and is examined by the European Commission.
But this is not a statement for governments and parents alone. Just arsenic nine erstwhile acceptable steadfast rules for smoking, drinking and wearing a seatbelt, we indispensable present face today’s situation with adjacent clarity: large platforms tin nary longer nett astatine the disbursal of our children’s intelligence health. A concern exemplary built connected capturing our kids’ attraction done addictive algorithms that provender them what tin justifiably beryllium labelled arsenic ‘digital junk’, is simply not acceptable.
And fto maine repetition what I said past year: integer exertion is nary antithetic than immoderate different manufacture that needs to run nether wellness and information regulations. And the overarching principle, the aureate modular is 1 and the same: Do nary harm.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Looking backmost astatine the instauration of the UN, means to recall, and acknowledge, that the request for effectual multilateralism is arsenic indispensable successful 2025, arsenic it was successful 1945.
There is nary uncertainty that multilateralism indispensable beryllium reinvigorated. We indispensable marque it acceptable for the challenges of the 3rd decennary of the 21st century. But we indispensable bash it without disrupting its core, the rules-based order.
These rules were agreed for a reason: to prevention humanity, to guarantee advancement and prosperity for all. Humanity has paid a precise dense toll, done blood, destruction, and suffering, to larn this lesson.
We indispensable presume our responsibilities to aboriginal generations. Let america not beryllium remembered arsenic those who erstwhile again led the satellite to the brink. Let america not beryllium the ‘sleepwalkers’ of our time. This clip determination whitethorn beryllium nary mode back.
Instead, fto america beryllium that we person the vision, courage, and resoluteness to physique a satellite of peace, security, of shared prosperity, worthy of the generations to come.
Thank you precise overmuch for your attention.
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