Bilateral cooperation and the strategic partnership between France and Greece, cooperation within Europe and international developments were among topics discussed in a meeting between Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis and his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot on Friday, according to a joint communique released after the meeting.
This stated that the two ministers underlined the excellent level of bilateral relations and the very high level of trust and close economic cooperation between the two countries. They exchanged views on implementing the strategic partnership and cooperation in the sector of civil protection, given that Greece still has to contend with serious forest fires.
According to the statement, the ministers repeated the importance of enhancing cooperation on a European level, especially in migration and defence. They stressed the need to "make a preference for entirely European programmes a priority" and noted that EU trade policy must allow the development of mutually beneficial partnership relations, while safeguarding European interests. Regarding the EU-Mercosur agreement, the ministers stressed the need to improve the section of the agreement relating to agriculture, particularly taking into account the importance of ensuring food sovereignty.
They also exchanged views on international developments, the announcement said, repeating the importance of support Ukraine and preventing the bypassing of sanctions. They welcomed the implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran and called on all parties to uphold the terms of the agreement. They also referred to the process of political transition in Syria, the need to protect all components of the Syrian people and to actively combat terrorism. In addition, the discussed recent events in Gaza and Libya.