Greece will not vote in favor of Bakoyannis' report on Kosovo

The issue of recognizing Kosovo returns to public debate in Athens and Cyprus. The occasion was Dora Bakoyannis's report on Kosovo's accession to the Council of Europe.

The report sparked a series of criticisms and even attacks against Dora Bakoyannis, most notably Cypriot, while Megaro Maximo and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly distanced themselves, even announcing that Greece at the level of foreign ministers would abstain from voting. Vote.

Gerapetritis and marinitis

More specifically, Giorgos Gerapetritis was the first to sharply mention the distinction between Athens, even pointing out that the vote in the Parliamentary Assembly is not binding but that of the Council of Ministers and “at this point the Greek government will abstain from this vote.” He pointed out that Greece “remains principles in its foreign policy. We will not change our opinion unless the facts on the basis of which decisions were made change. We will continue with this logic of principles.”

In response to a question about this on Monday, the government representative, Pavlos Marinakis, took the lead, who fully embraced Gerapetritis’ position, stressing that “Greek positions remain the same as they have been over time. We want to resolve the differences between the two countries, as stipulated in previous agreements.” Greek foreign policy has not changed, but has remained the same position that has existed over time, and I believe that this has been reflected at all levels and at the level of Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, and this is what expresses the Greek position absolutely.”

Bakoyannis

Although Megaro Maximo and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs distance themselves from the Bakoyannis report, the National Democratic Party deputy defends her positions, and even said in an interview with (Politis) that she is under “extremist right-wing attack.”

In the same interview, he also noted that “the report does not address the status of Kosovo, nor whether Kosovo is a state. If the mandate given to us by the Council of Ministers was to express my opinion or express the opinion of the Assembly on whether Kosovo is a state or not, I would never have submitted this report.” “Because the position is not mine, it is the position of Greece, which does not recognize Kosovo. Therefore, we are not talking about the situation in this report. This report is only related to human rights and how they are implemented through the rule of law within Kosovo.”

“The conclusion does not take a position on the issue of recognizing Kosovo,” Bakoyannis says in her article in FEMA. “It simply highlights the need to protect the human rights of two million people living on European soil.”

At the same time, he believes that “society and the political system in Greece and Cyprus must fully understand that Kosovo and Cyprus are two completely different cases. After all, the International Court of Justice in The Hague has ruled, since 2010, that there is no room for parallelism between the two cases.”

Dora Bakoyannis believes that “the similarity between Kosovo and Cyprus is completely baseless and constitutes a danger at the national level.”

Dendias distinguishes between Kosovo and Cyprus

Nikos Dendias also distinguished between the Cyprus issue and the Kosovo issue several times when he was Foreign Minister. According to his previous positions, Dendias had stated that the perception that the status of recognizing Kosovo has similarities to occupied northern Cyprus is not accurate (Delphi Forum 2023), repeatedly pointing out that “there is a decision of the International Court of Justice that literally distinguishes and differentiates between the two cases clearly.”

Cyprus

Cyprus, with one MP from AKEL and one MP from Dikko, who participated in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, voted against the report, and the representative of the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for his part, Theodoros Goutsis, confirmed that Cyprus still exists. consistent with its long-standing positions that it is “fully committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states” and therefore “does not recognize unilaterally declared independence.”

In his announcement on April 18, AKEL noted that “the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to invite Kosovo to become a member of the Council of Europe raises serious concerns about the risks and precedent it creates with regard to illegal separatist entities.” . Those who supported the relevant resolution must reflect on their responsibilities towards the risks posed by encouraging separatist movements in both Europe and the world.

He also stressed that “the Republic of Cyprus, a victim of the violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity by the occupying power and the pseudo-state, has two reasons to be an absolutely consistent defender of international law.”

“The argument that each case is separate is hollow, because despite the differences in each case, it is indisputable that the principle of territorial integrity, which is a fundamental principle of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, is being brutally violated,” Akel believes. .

Even if analysts, politicians and diplomats try to separate the Kosovo issue from the Cyprus issue, it is clear that the pseudo-state is trying to benefit from any development.

Fake state

The significance is the statement of the “representative” of the false state, Oguzhan Hasipoglu, who considers the Kosovo issue and its inclusion in the Council of Europe an example of the structure of the occupation and pointed out the difference of opinion between Greece and the Republic of Cyprus on this issue.

The debate over Kosovo in Greece

The debate in Greece over recognition of Kosovo intensified in the background in 2021 when the United States increased its urging of Athens to recognize Kosovo, citing the need to limit Russian influence in the Balkans. In the same year, Nikos Dendias, in his capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced the upgrade of the Kosovo Trade and Economic Affairs Office in Athens to the Kosovo Interests Office.

It is a step that, even if Greek diplomacy made clear that Athens' position had not changed, was also translated as the beginning of a process that in the background might indicate – perhaps – Greece's recognition of Kosovo. But nothing has been verified yet.

But in Pristina, they still cling to their hopes of gaining recognition from Greece.

The statements of Kosovo's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Kresnik Ahmadi, last January, in which he saw the possibility of Greece recognizing Kosovo because relations between Athens and Pristina had become very close, are exemplary.

Clearly, the discussion about recognizing Kosovo is not new.

Its opponents link the Kosovo issue to the Cyprus issue and create a bad precedent for Greek interests, which enables them to be exploited by the other party.

Something, it turns out, that exists at the level of pseudo-state discourse.

Those who support recognition of Kosovo even under specific circumstances emphasize the argument that the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which issued its opinion in 2010, clearly distinguishes between the two cases, as Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law, because it did not arise from illegal use. The force was condemned by the UN Security Council and was not the result of an external invasion, unlike the Cyprus conflict.