Interior Minister Evripides Stylianidis attended the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in The Hague and was successful in ensuring the adoption of all Greek positions and amendments in Energy Policy in the Mediterranean, particularly for the Southern Corridor.

NATO’s Energy Commission had assigned the report months earlier to Mr. Osman Bak, the Turkish AKP MP in Istanbul and close associate of Tayyip Erdogan.

Several points of the original text contained approaches, analyses and terminology that affected Greek positions that also opposed International Law, the Law of the Sea and certain decisions of the United Nations in matters relating to the Cyprus issue, the European Economic Zone (EEZ) and the official name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Mr. Stylianidis initially intervened in the relevant Energy Commission, to which he submitted more than 30 amendments and sought meetings with both the presidium, the other National Delegations and the Turkish side that finally responded positively. All Greek amendments have now been adopted while contentious paragraphs have been taken out.

It isn’t usual practice for Parliamentary’s Assembly to make changes to its reports, usually approved just as they are submitted by rapporteurs. This exception was considered a success for Greek diplomacy.

“The intelligent, systematic and consistent approach to the issues enhances our alliances within NATO and strengthens our international intervention, effectively promoting our national positions,” said Mr. Stylianidis said. “The new risks of ISIS and international terrorism enable us to promote the need to strengthen NATO unity in the region, isolating each voice that tries to stir up issues that contradict the international law of the sea and the EEZ, disrupt the Alliance and reduce its effectiveness in the region. The highlighting of this dimension enables us to protect and effectively showcase the importance of Greece in the region and our national rights.”