“As the country holding the presidency of the Security Council, Greece’s top priority is to find a solution and get humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Prime Minister and the government are quite rightly moving in this direction in the capacity of the honest interlocutor that Greece fortunately has. Tomorrow, Giorgios Gerapetritis will chair a special Security Council debate on the protection of civilians, at the initiative of the government,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Tassos Hadjivassiliou, speaking today at the National Defence and Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.

Hadjivassiliou recalled that Greece has, from the very first moment, advocated the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. He informed the Committee that today, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis had renewed contact with the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority on the issue of humanitarian aid, where it was made clear that the Palestinians always appreciate Greek assistance.

The Deputy Foreign Minister pointed out that the country consistently and consistently supports the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), while at the initiative of Mr. Gerapetritis, European Union member states have undertaken to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. Greece, he added, is always willing to welcome more children from the long-suffering Strip.

At the same time, he made clear that Greece, as a member of the UN Security Council, is always working on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza in an institutional manner. “The country has endorsed the relevant joint statements both in the Security Council and in the European Union,” he stressed.

Finally, he rebutted the opposition’s attack that Greece allegedly voted against the revision of the EU-Israel Agreement, clarifying that no vote was taken. As he clarified, “the decision to review was taken by the head of European diplomacy, Kaya Kalas, without any question of a vote by member states. Greece has a clear position on the issue of the tragedy in Gaza and it is wrong for the opposition to create false impressions.”

On the accusation that Greece has a dependency relationship with Israel, the Deputy Foreign Minister made it clear in strong tones that this position directly insults the country and its citizens, stressing that “Greece is not a heterodoxy, follows a policy of principles and positions and, thanks to the government’s handling, has accumulated valuable diplomatic capital that allows it to stand strong and proud in the world,” he concluded.