EPC summit: Greek PM says Europe must be included in Ukraine peace talks
Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, arriving at the ninth European Political Community (EPC) summit in Dublin, recalled the first summit, which took place in Prague immediately after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
He noted that unfortunately, four-and-a-half years later, Europe still faces an open conflict at the heart of the European continent, CE Report quotes ANA-MPA.
"We take note of and remain cautiously optimistic regarding the recent progress made in discussions to end this war. However, I want to be entirely clear, and I believe I express the view of all members of the European Council: there can be no discussion of a long-term peace agreement in Ukraine, nor certainly of Europe's future security architecture, without Europe's participation at the negotiating table," the prime minister underlined.
He added: "Tomorrow we will discuss the format of this participation. My personal view has always been that the European institutions should be represented, which could be flanked by some of the major European countries. However, the first step should always be to focus on achieving a ceasefire. And, as the leader of a maritime nation, I am particularly concerned about what is happening in the Black Sea.
"I have also appealed to the Security Council for a global truce, a global ceasefire regarding attacks against commercial vessels. This is undoubtedly an area of top priority in any discussions taking place over the coming days, weeks, and months."
Mitsotakis then referred to developments in the Middle East and their repercussions:
"We are in Ireland, quite far from my country, Greece, yet we must not forget that there is another conflict, in the Middle East, which has caused significant economic uncertainty.
"This issue is also linked to the second topic of today's discussion, which concerns economic resilience. I believe European countries share a common concern about how we will manage to reduce energy costs, and how we will develop our own capabilities, reducing dependencies that undermine not only our competitiveness, but also our future security.
"Whether it concerns energy imports and Europe's need to produce its own clean energy, or critical raw materials, space capabilities, and capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence, all these are capabilities that Europe must develop within the European continent."
He also touched upon the issue of artificial intelligence, which is on the summit's agenda: "I also look forward with particular interest to the discussion we will have tomorrow on artificial intelligence. I consider it very important that the European Council is dedicating a special discussion to this issue.
"The opportunities offered by artificial intelligence are significant, yet equally significant are the challenges and threats entailed by the unchecked development of this truly transformative technology. I therefore consider it important that the European Council will discuss these issues in greater depth tomorrow."
Photo Facebook/kyriakosmitsotakis
