Greece and Lebanon, from the ancient times, have had the privilege to be the two pillars of a bridge that connects the East to the West, different but mutually complemented cultures, in commerce and sea routes. They have had and still have, however, the burden of the impact of their geostrategic position and every consequence that it may cause to the security and defence of the countries and their peoples.

With my dear colleague we had the chance to exchange views and experiences of the critical security situation which has been formed over the broader region of the Mediterranean. It has become now a common belief that the security conditions which have been formed in Eastern Mediterranean, and in the wider area around it, cannot be dealt with by individual countries. Collective effort at regional and international level is required.

A Mediterranean Union has started being shaped and, except Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Jordan, Lebanon too is a part of this Mediterranean Union.

The violence and intolerance in the area have substituted the fundamental principles of the international and humanitarian law and their victims are mostly non belligerents because of their national descent or religious beliefs. Last week Lebanon lived this cruel reality with the attack of extremist terrorists on a Christian village, the victims of which were innocent civilians.

I expressed my colleague our condolences for the losses and at the same time I stressed the necessity for the international community to address it seriously by preventing the displacement of religious communities from this area. Declarations should be followed by action as soon as possible.

In general, we discussed with Mr. Deputy prime Minister, about a bilateral defence cooperation which provides for both sides to receive military attaches in the missions, and to sign a bilateral agreement in Beirut in October after I accepted an invitation by Mr. Deputy Prime Minister.

You proposed the extension of the agreement between Greece, Lebanon and Cyprus in a trilateral agreement, as the Cypriot colleague Mr. Christoforos Phokaides proposed too.

Our support to Lebanon is constant and firm. We support its integrity, unity, territorial and political independence and we cooperate in international and regional organizations for the stability and peace in this friendly country.

Despite the adverse financial circumstances, Greece maintains its participation in the UN peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, UNIFIL.

We discussed the migration issue. Lebanon is one of the countries that have received a big wave of refugees of approximately 1,600,000 refugees, whom it hosts in several thousand camps without the necessary assistance from the European Union, as well as from all the western countries. We will take the initiative to raise this issue at the council of EU Ministers of Defence, as well as in NATO.

Finally, I would like to stress that Lebanon gave an example of humanitarianism in the past – and it still does along with Jordan – by receiving and hosting millions of refugees. We should not, however, exhaust this patience and perseverance. Stability is a further condition for the security of the whole area and of the European continent in general.

Mr. Deputy Prime Minister and I agreed that the solution to the refugees’ issue is to ensure the security in entire Syria for the refugees to return home.

To this direction, we will have a close cooperation and, as we said, in our private meeting we promised each other that we will rebuild the close relations between Greece and Lebanon which have never been interrupted between our nations.

Mr. Deputy prime Minister, please convey to the government and the people of Lebanon our respect and solidarity because, we too, the Greeks and our government, are going through a similar test with dignity and humanitarian principles.