Foreign minister holds dinner for Arab envoys in Athens

Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos on Tuesday had a working dinner in honour of the ambassadors of Arab countries in Greece, seeking to boost traditionally friendly ties between Greece and countries of the Middle East and north Africa. Discussion focused on the prospects for further cooperation on the level of the economy and trade but also matters of regional interest for north Africa, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, including the Middle East peace process. Special emphasis was given to recent developments in Syria, where Avramopoulos stressed Greece's "unequivocal condemnation of the escalation of violence that has caused huge losses among civilians". He repeated Athens' position for a peaceful, political solution to resolve the crisis in Syria. He also expressed hope that the mission of UN special envoy Kofi Annan will receive the support necessary to enable progress and underlined that the Assad regime had lost its legitimacy and was standing in the way of the political transition process. The foreign minister also briefed the Arab envoys on Greece's fiscal consolidation programme and the government's determination to overcome the crisis and reform the Greek economy. He outlined the potential for deeper cooperation with Arab countries in bilateral trade and various areas of shared interest, as well as the potential for investments and economic cooperation on both a state and private level.