PRESIDENT OBAMA’S REMARKS
AND PRESIDENT PAVLOPOULOS OF GREECE
BEFORE THE COURTESY CALL
Presidential mansion
Athens, Greece
PRESIDENT PAVLOPOULOS: (As interpreted.) Mr. President, I welcome you to Athens, as President of this great friendly country, the United States of America, which has achieved world distinction for the defense of the earth , democracy and justice. These are the characteristics that define your fame and international appeal.
Your praise and appeal are of course justified, among other things, by your initiatives aimed at confronting a deep global economic crisis; support for the social rule of law; management of the acute and, in your own words, epic refugee crisis with humanity and justice; and suppress the barbarity of terrorism, adequately dealing with the countless criminals who commit crimes against humanity.
Mr. President, our peoples are linked by truly historic bonds of friendship and cooperation, which have become even stronger thanks to the great Greek-American community of which we Greeks are very proud and for which we always feel great gratitude. On this occasion, I would like to warmly thank you for your solidarity with Greece and the Greek people throughout this deep and painful economic and social crisis that our country has suffered. I am sure that your successor, the new President of the United States, Mr. Trump, will continue on the same path.
Mr. President, in these difficult times for humanity, humanity will greatly benefit from the close and sincere cooperation between the United States and the European Union. We are convinced that the United States has every reason to hope for a strong and prosperous Europe. Greece is moving in this direction. Despite the difficulties and enormous sacrifices of the people – which, it should be noted, are not only the result of our own mistakes – we remain firm on the course of the European Union and the Eurozone. We strive to make all our partners understand that it is our duty to stay on the path to European integration, far from phobic syndromes and lack of solidarity, which can only undermine our common European future. We are deeply inspired by European ideals and we defend our national interests not only on the basis of international law as a whole, but also on the basis of European primary and secondary law.
We deal with our national issues through this primary and secondary legislation. This is why I would like to highlight three examples of what we call our national problems. The Cyprus question, which is of course above all an international and European question, can only succeed in full respect of the European institutional hierarchy, and we are in favor of a rapid resolution based on a fair and viable solution.
The institutional hierarchy obviously excludes a Confederate solution or occupying armies and obsolete guarantees, which deprive the modern concept of sovereignty of its meaning. We must also not forget that a solution to the Cyprus question that does not respect these facts would set a very negative precedent for the existence and sovereignty of each Member State. This is the main rule of the European role and this precedent could endanger all member states.
We also consider that any challenge to the Treaty of Lausanne is inconceivable and unacceptable because it would constitute a blatant violation of international law for which the treaty was fought and would undermine not only the borders of Greece, but also of the European Union. since the borders of the European Union, Mr President, are the borders of the different Member States.
Finally, the fact that the neighboring state claims a name which, in addition to falsifying history, obviously constitutes irredentist behavior and therefore indirectly calls into question the existing borders, this goes against international and European law and undermines its own European perspective.
Mr. President, I would like to welcome you once again. And I’m saving the words that suit your personality and your work for dinner tonight. I wish you a pleasant stay in Athens. And let me assure you that we Greeks still consider you, even after your term ends, as a world-class statesman and a great friend of Greece and the Greek people.
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Well, Mr. President, I just want to thank you for your warm welcome and thank the people of Greece for welcoming us here today. I send greetings from all Americans, but, as you noted, we have an extraordinary Greek-American community that is very excited about this visit.
As you noted, this will be my last trip abroad. And I thought it was very fitting for us to visit a great country that is the birthplace of democracy, the source of so many of the ideals and values that helped build America, and a friend and ally exceptional.
Obviously, Greece has gone through a very difficult economic period in recent years. And the policy of my administration has been to do everything in our power to work with the Greek government and the Greek people to restore growth and optimism and to alleviate difficulties. And we are pleased to see that progress is being made, although we recognize that significant challenges remain, and we intend to stand with the Greek people throughout this process.
We believe that a strong, prosperous and unified Europe is not only good for European citizens, but also good for the world and good for the United States. And we also believe that it is important that everyone has opportunities and is included in growth in Europe. And part of my message, as I travel not only to Greece but also to meet other European leaders, is to encourage a process that guarantees opportunities for all, especially for the youth of Europe and the youth here in Greece.
I would also like to express the appreciation of the entire world for the humanitarian and compassionate way in which Greece has addressed the serious migration and refugee crisis currently prevailing.
As I said at the UN Refugee Summit that I hosted in September, it is important that no country bears the burden of these challenges alone – that we all contribute and participate in alleviation of suffering and management of migration around the world. in an orderly and compassionate manner. And we were very happy to work with the Greek government to handle this situation appropriately.
Finally, whether it’s fighting terrorism, addressing some of the challenges in the Middle East, housing our warships, or cooperating in the Aegean Sea, the strong U.S. relationship and Greece within NATO are of the utmost importance. And I want to not only reaffirm our appreciation for the Greek people in this alliance, but also to emphasize the importance we place on the Transatlantic Alliance. This continues to be an unwavering cornerstone of our security and is something that provides important continuity. Although we are witnessing a transition of government in the United States, between Democratic and Republican administrations, it is recognized that the NATO alliance is absolutely vital and that the transatlantic relationship is the cornerstone of our mutual security as well as of our prosperity.
So, in addition to formal meetings, I also hope to have the chance to see the Acropolis, because if you come to Greece, you have to do some sightseeing.
So thank you once again for your very kind hospitality and thank you to the Greek people for the friendship and partnership that has made our two countries stronger.
