The President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos sent a clear message to FYROM that the path to the EU and NATO would be closed as long as it demonstrated signs of territorial claims against Greece. Mr Pavlopoulos requested the support of the state of Israel on matters of Greek national interests during his reception of his Israeli counterpart, Reuven Rivlin to Athens, Monday morning.

“Your visit coincides with the holocaust anniversary. I am very happy because a few days ago I signed the decree on the creation of a Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki”, underlined the Greek President addressing Mr Rivlin in front of the TV cameras. The Greek President continued by stressing that both Israel and Greece approached the matters in the wider region in a similar manner. We seek to restore peace in the Middle East, fight ISIS and a resolution to the Palestinian issue in a way that ensures both the security and prosperity of both peoples”, the Greek President pointed out. He continued by saying that Greece considered the relations between Israel and the EU of strategic importance, expressing hope that a commission on a union between Israel and the EU would be convened as soon as possible. The Greek President also raised the Cypriot matter, pointing out it was a Greek matter, but of international importance.

On his part, the President of Israel said that the relations between the two nations had been forged over many decades. “The whole world knows about Greek philosophy. Many Israeli MPs used phrases from Thucydides without knowing it”, he said. Commenting on the challenges faced by both countries in the region, Mr Rivlin warned that “Greece and Israel have red lines that they will not let anyone cross. The whole world must understand that enough is enough with the wars”. The Israeli President will attend the ceremony for the placement of the cornerstone of the Holocaust Museum in Thessaloniki, at 11.15 am on Tuesday with Greek PM Alexis Tsipras.