Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis met today, in Damascus, with the interim President, Ahmad Al Sharaa and Foreign Minister, Asaad Al Shaibani. The Greek Foreign Minister is one of the first Foreign Ministers of a Member State of the European Union to visit Syria, a country with which Greece has historical ties and long-standing political, economic and cultural relations.

According to diplomatic sources, during the meeting, the Foreign Minister reiterated Greece’s support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

According to the same sources, Mr. Gerapetritis stressed the need for a smooth political transition towards an inclusive government, from which no ethnic and religious community should be excluded.

He stressed that the Syrian people should have sole ownership of this process, without external interference.

The Foreign Minister also stressed Greece’s strong interest in the Syrian Christian community.

During his meetings with the Transitional President and the Syrian Foreign Minister, Mr. Gerapetritis also stressed the importance of respecting and adhering to international law, including the International Law of the Sea.

Finally, he stressed Greece’s desire to play an active role in the new situation that is taking shape in Syria, both bilaterally and through the European Union and the UN, and set as a priority the need to build trust between the two countries.

The Greek Foreign Minister – according to diplomatic sources – stressed that Greece aspires to make full use of its membership of the UN Security Council, and stressed that it is in its interest to take initiatives to promote stability and prosperity in the region.

As an EU member state in Syria’s wider neighbourhood, he stressed the key importance of the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean and underlined that Greece maintains strong ties with the Arab world, while being a reliable interlocutor for all countries in the region.

Finally, Mr. Gerapetritis expressed Greece’s readiness to provide humanitarian and development assistance to Syria, as well as to offer its expertise in institution building in the country.