YouSaid · the spoken record

Kyriakos Mitsotakis

lines on the record: 82
first: 2019-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 5
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Our collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic crossed borders and demonstrated that, when the world needed to stand up and stand together, it was able to effectively confront global issues. Our collective response to the climate crisis must do the same. Scientists tell us that the Mediterranean ecosystem, which is home to some of the world’s most ancient civilizations, is particularly susceptible to the consequences of rising temperatures. Of course, my country Greece is not immune. This summer we paid a very heavy price as unprecedented mega-fires ravaged my country. Yet help to fight the fires came from across Europe and beyond. I am deeply grateful to the 23 countries that sent us support to help us tame a natural phenomenon of ferocious intensity.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“And we agreed on the development of the EU Digital COVID Certificate — an innovative concept that Greece was the first to propose — the implementation of which has been absolutely central to the restoration of our freedoms, the support of our tourism industry and the rejuvenation of our economies. As we stand here today — less than six weeks from the twenty- sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Glasgow — we continue to talk about the other great issue of our time, climate change, with a renewed sense of urgency. The question is whether we are capable of aligning our flowery rhetoric with the necessary action to avert a catastrophe of unimaginable consequences. Let me be clear: this is no longer about climate change; this is about addressing an acute climate crisis.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“And Europe led the way on numerous fronts. We led the way on vaccine procurement. Vaccines were purchased by the European Union (EU) and distributed to all its States members, based on their population, regardless of their size or economic might. It was a true act of solidarity. Europe led the way on vaccine donations to countries outside the European Union. In my country Greece’s case, 1.5 million doses to date, with 4 million more to come, were donated to countries ranging from Iraq to Rwanda and from Libya to Jordan. We also committed 510,000 doses through the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility. We agreed as Europeans last July on an unprecedented EU-wide fiscal stimulus package — NextGenerationEU — which is now driving a sustained economic recovery across the continent.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“For nearly two years, the world has been grappling with one of the greatest challenges we have faced in modern times. The impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an everpresent reminder of the realities we continue to face in the battle against the pandemic. But as we gather here this week I believe that, despite the pain and disruption brought about by this horrible disease, there are real reasons to be optimistic. If recent events have taught us anything, it is that hope is born out of cooperation. For the first time in human history, our planet joined hands and delivered a collective scientific miracle — the discovery, development and production of not just one but several safe and effective vaccines in an amazingly short period of time. What in the past would have taken us decades was achieved in months.”
2021-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 76 (2021)
“Greeks have rejected the empty promises, the exploitation and the divisiveness of populism. In another 75 years, when our children’s children speak here at the United Nations, I for one believe that they will be describing a better world. A world where quantum technology has revolutionised healthcare and our own biology. A world where fossil fuels are just that, a thing of the past. A world where equality, opportunity and morality guide our leaders. We have the raw ingredients in front of us today. We harness more collective intelligence and knowledge than we ever have in human history. But we must promote the values and the competence to guide that resource, to deploy it for the betterment of our world. After all, we only have one! I, for one, believe we can do just that. Thank you for listening.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“That is why we must do more together to tackle the root causes of migration: poverty, deprivation, economic uncertainty, exploitation, violence and war. Unless we tackle these inequalities, the problem will never be fully resolved. Ladies and Gentlemen, What this last year has proved to me is that competence and values are essential partners. Success is measured not through the delivery of one at the expense of the other, but through the deployment of both: competence and all that comes with the reliable delivery of results; and values, the framework for how we interact with tolerance and compassion. As a result, we have seen the emergence of a new national self-confidence, and a renewed sense of pride in Greece. We are no longer viewed through the prism of bailouts and austerity.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“By 2028 it will be a thing of the past. By the time we meet again next year in New York, many of Greece’s single use plastics will have been banned. The terrible fire at the Moria camp, on Lesbos, earlier this month, has highlighted the huge challenge posed by mass migration, in particular on Europe’s southern borders. Greece cannot manage this issue alone. We’ve received invaluable support from the UNHCR and the IOM, but we need to be honest. Whilst our migrant numbers are down, our coastguard is still saving thousands of desperate men, women and children in the waters of the Mediterranean every year. This is a collective failure of the international community and we must all share the blame for that failure.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Let’s give diplomacy a chance. If, after all, we still cannot agree, then we should trust the wisdom of the international court at The Hague. The beginning of exploratory talks between our two sides, which was announced two days ago, is a step in the right direction. If President Erdogan really believes the United Nations stands as a beacon of hope and a bastion of global cooperation, then I would urge him to act in accordance with its values. Ladies and Gentlemen, What then of the challenges I highlighted at the start of these remarks? Challenges like climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development, and migration. Challenges that need action today, not discussion tomorrow. Action that is shifting Greece towards the use of renewable energy as we speak. We are phasing out our use of lignite — or brown coal — in our power stations.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Be in no doubt, Turkey’s actions undermine international law and threaten the security and stability of the broader region of the Eastern Mediterranean and of all EU member states. The European Union made it absolutely clear that unilateral actions will not be left unanswered when they threaten sovereign rights of member states. However, in spite of the recent events, I remain an optimist. Everybody understands that this constant escalation of tension cannot continue. And I refuse to believe that partnership between near neighbors is not possible. Look at the recent agreement struck between Israel and the UAE. Both friends of Greece, now friends with each other. Years of suspicion and animosity have been replaced by co-operation and mutual understanding. So, let’s meet, let’s talk, and let’s seek a mutually acceptable solution.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“It will take perseverance, agile policies that protect the most vulnerable, continued trust in the experts and individual responsibility to succeed. But I am convinced that we can do it. The other great geopolitical challenge we face concerns Turkey. At the General Assembly last year, I had made a point of extending the hand of friendship and co-operation to President Erdogan. I even talked of my willingness to act as a bridge-builder for Turkey in Europe. Sadly, where Greece put trust, dialogue and understanding at the heart of a values-based foreign policy, Turkey responded with escalation, provocation, disinformation, and aggression. Where Greece chose the path of dialogue in good faith, Turkey chose the path of intransigence.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Let me be absolutely clear with you. Years of austerity had left Greece vulnerable to a pandemic. Coronavirus threatened to overwhelm our health service. And yet we proved that agility, flexibility and new technology can empower people and achieve results that once seemed impossible. We prioritized competence, utilizing facts and data rather than relying on ideology. Harnessing the best in innovation and technology; and putting trusted experts at the center of our decision-making and communication. It worked. Against all odds, Greece was extremely successful in dealing with the first wave of the pandemic. However, now the second wave of the COVID-19 epidemic is ante portas. We need to learn to live with the virus until we have the scientific tools to eradicate it.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“The challenges we face in 2020 may be different from those of the post-war years, but in many respects they are just as significant, just as momentous. We face an unprecedented and truly global public health crisis — the first of modern times. The world’s major economies are in contraction. Our vital biodiversity system appears on the brink of collapse, with a million species on the edge of extinction. Transnational issues threaten our individual, regional, and collective security. And malign actors pose an insidious and growing threat to our way of life, to multilateralism and to the proper functioning of international law. And yet, in the twelve months since we last met the way Greece and the Greek people have responded to theses challenge has proved to me that there is a way through this uncertainty.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“That is why the values and principles at the heart of the United Nations matter as much today as they did when Greece signed the UN Charter in 1945. Those values — of peace and security, equality, human rights and self-determination — and those principles — of justice and the rule of law — are at the core of what it means to be Greek. After all, this year not only marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the UN but the 2500th anniversary of Greece’s victory at the battle of Salamis. A victory that helped to pave the way for the foundation of classical Greece and the birth of democracy and the rule of law. And today it is that democracy and that rule of law that underpin the values and principles at the heart of the United Nations.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“If, as now seems possible, we can develop complex vaccines in a matter of a year, or perhaps eighteen months, why I would ask can we not work together to solve some of the other great global challenges of our age? Aristotle wrote that “Nature has never done anything uselessly.” In other words, nature forces us to innovate. Choice doesn’t come into it. Aristotle lived internationaln an era where human activity did not have the capacity to massively impact our natural environment. But his words remain prescient. Because if COVID-19 has taught us anything at all, it is that we cannot afford to wait for the next crisis before we take pre-emptive action. On climate change. On biodiversity. On global health. On tackling the root causes of migration. On development. Ultimately, the sustainability of humankind.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Where our faces may be hidden, but our humanity remains intact. I refuse to believe, however, that all these new norms will define a new world. Rather I look on with respect and awe at how our doctors and nurses, our scientists, and our experts have responded. Because I believe that their actions demonstrate that there is no problem, no matter how complicated, that we cannot solve. We may be separated by a new invisible threat to our health, our prosperity and our freedom, but as this virtual broadcast demonstrates, we are still very much connected. And we are, I believe, increasingly united. Connected by the power of innovation. United by a newfound determination to work together for the improvement of our global family of nations.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“Secretary-General Guterres, fellow delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am sorry that circumstance dictates that we cannot be together for this, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. Since we met last, our world has changed beyond all recognition. COVID-19 has raised questions about globalisation that up until now were confined to risk-management workshops. Questions we never imagined we would face, let alone need to answer. How we live. How we work. How we interact with one another. The cost has been without modern precedent. Lives lost to the disease. Lives shattered by the economic consequences. Lives upended by the impact of societal change. The pandemic has even given birth to a new norm, where we no longer hug, shake hands or high-five. Where an elbow bump defines the limits of our physical connection.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“And we will continue to do so more intensively in future. Let me conclude by making the following observation. We naturally think of the United Nations whenever we are confronted with difficult problems. All too often we are quick to criticize the United Nations if it comes up short in handling them. But for those who are caught in the middle of wars and revolutions, the United Nations is the only bulwark of safety they can count on, and to the millions of refugees around the world to whom it provides food and shelter, it is their only beacon of hope. I therefore wish to conclude my first appearance before the General Assembly by saluting the United Nations for the conflicts it has resolved, the suffering it has diminished and the pain it has eased all over the world.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Furthermore, recent Turkish actions and statements concerning the opening of Varosha under Turkish-Cypriot administration are in blatant violation of relevant Security Council resolutions, which call for the return of all legal inhabitants to Varosha under United Nations administration. With respect to our neighbours to the north, Greece will continue to support the efforts of all the countries of the Western Balkans to join the European Union, as long as they fully respect their international obligations to the European Union and to their neighbours. Greece is playing a vital role in the economic development of the entire Balkans region, thanks to trade opportunities provided by its ports in Piraeus and Thessaloniki, as well as its position as one of the most important investors in South-Eastern Europe.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Greece stands ready to resume negotiations for the termination of the outdated, totally anachronistic 1960 system of guarantees and unilateral rights of intervention and for the withdrawal of the Turkish occupation troops from the island. However, Turkey’s illegal drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean, particularly within Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone and territorial waters, violate international law. They blatantly undermine ongoing efforts being made under United Nations auspices to restart the Cyprus negotiations and dangerously escalate tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. Gunboat diplomacy has no place in the twenty-first century. It belongs in the nineteenth.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“An agreed, comprehensive and viable solution in accordance with Security Council resolutions should put an end to this injustice. We welcome President Anastasiades’s and Turkish Cypriot leader Akıncı’s efforts to agree on the terms of reference for resuming the negotiations to resolve the Cyprus question. It is up to them to decide what is good for their communities, and they do not need any foreign tutelage. As President Anastasiades repeated in this Hall yesterday (see A/74/PV.7), the only acceptable solution is the evolution of the Republic of Cyprus into a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, a single sovereignty, a single international legal representation and a single citizenship.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Consistent with its role as a stabilizing force in a region confronted with grave challenges, Greece remains fully committed to the principle of good-neighbourly relations with all its neighbours. However, no tangible progress in relations between two neighbouring countries can be achieved without full respect for international law, including the law of the sea, and full respect for international treaties. Actions that persistently challenge Greece’s sovereignty and sovereign rights, in the sea and in the air, undermine the important principle of good-neighbourly relations, contravene international law and seriously impede efforts aimed at achieving mutually beneficial relationships. Forty-five years have passed since the illegal Turkish invasion and occupation of more than a third of the Republic of Cyprus.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“As a country that enjoys both longstanding ties to the Arab world and excellent relations with Israel, which Greece first recognized when my father was Prime Minister almost 30 years ago, we believe that the Middle East peace process must remain alive and lead to a two-State solution, in the hope that one day the area can become a promised land for all its people. It is often said that geography is destiny. Nevertheless, it is our responsibility to shape our own destiny. Although my country is situated close to an extremely turbulent region, it remains a pillar of stability that actively promotes peace, security and cooperation. Along with the Republic of Cyprus, Greece has established constructive trilateral cooperation schemes with Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Greece sees no alternative to a political solution. We fully support the inclusive political dialogue in Geneva under United Nations auspices that will produce a framework agreement based on Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) and that will not only enable Syrian refugees to return to their homeland but will also provide a basis for starting the reconstruction of this ravaged country. On Libya, it is imperative to establish the security conditions that will allow the country to heal. As one of Libya’s neighbours, Greece attaches particular importance to the international efforts to stabilize the country. We fully support the United Nations Action Plan for Libya and the recently announced three-part programme of action, and believe that they constitute a solid road map for achieving progress.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“At the same time, the European Union must move fast to adopt new common rules for asylum seekers that apply to all countries. No European nation can be a member of the Schengen area and benefit from the free movement of people while at the same time refusing to participate in burden-sharing arrangements regarding the migration crisis. Solidarity is not a one-way street. The situation in the Middle East and North Africa is a source of deep concern and should be addressed by the international community in a comprehensive manner. It is tragic that eight years after the eruption of the Syrian crisis, the country continues to be a battlefield, for regional and international differences as well as domestic ones, with repercussions felt by all, but first and foremost by the unhappy Syrian people.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We need to state the obvious to our European partners, which is that Greece cannot bear alone the burden of massive movements of people fleeing wars and oppression or simply seeking a better future, as has recently been the case. For these people, Greece is not their final destination. They come to Europe through the European Union’s external borders, which happen to be our borders. Their plight cannot be turned into a weapon in the service of political goals by anyone, anywhere. The agreement between the European Union and Turkey must be respected and Turkey must do much more to fulfil its part of the bargain. The recent drastic increase in the number of migrants crossing the Aegean Sea is unacceptable. Europe should continue supporting Turkey financially, recognizing that millions of refugees currently live in Turkey.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Despite the disproportionate burden and the resulting tremendous pressure on our reception and asylum systems, we have managed to save thousands of lives at sea. We are deploying enormous efforts and resources, to the best of our abilities, in order to host refugees and migrants in a humane and decent way, respecting the human rights and human dignity of both refugees and migrants arriving in our country. However, we are reaching the limits of our ability to address this problem. Entry countries cannot and should not bear the burden of the migratory pressure on their own. Refugee and migration management is a European challenge that calls for collective action, a comprehensive approach and broad solutions, always based on the fair sharing of responsibility, not xenophobic agendas.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“We will follow up on the international summit on the impact of climate change on cultural heritage, which took place in Athens in June, by calling for a high-level meeting next year to continue and expand on the work that begun at the Athens conference. For Greece, sustainable development and prosperity are also linked to the effective management of one of today’s main challenges, the refugee crisis. Situated at the external borders of the European Union, and therefore at the forefront of the migration and refugee crisis for several years now, Greece continues to be confronted with the largest migrant and refugee flows to Europe since the Second World War. We rank among the top four EU member States in asylum applications and have one of the highest ratios of asylum seekers per capita.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“To achieve those goals, the Greek Government has made addressing climate change a core component of its agenda. That is not just a defensive strategy to protect our forests from wildfires and our beaches from erosion and rising sea levels. It is about leveraging our unique natural environment and cultural heritage as a comparative advantage that will lead to new sustainable growth. To do so, we plan to adopt a new, ambitious national strategy for energy, environment and climate before the end of this year. We will ban single-use plastics across the country by the end of 2021. We will close all our lignite power plants by the end of 2028. We will press forward with initiatives to protect our intangible cultural heritage from the impact of adverse climate conditions.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“It is indeed time for the United Nations to enhance its ability to engage in preventive diplomacy, provide humanitarian assistance and lead both peacemaking and peacekeeping missions, as well as rebuild shattered nations once conflicts are resolved. And it is crucial to do it all with greater transparency, efficiency and accountability. I believe that we would all agree that no matter how many peacemaking or peacekeeping operations are deployed in conflict areas, at the end of the day peace and security cannot prevail in the absence of development and inclusive growth. Greece remains strongly committed to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to the long-term vision of a climate-neutral European Union economy by 2050.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“As we move to steer our country away from the storms that buffeted it for a decade towards calm seas and bright horizons, we remain extremely mindful of our place in the volatile region where we live, our role in the European Union (EU), whose ideals we inspired, and our responsibilities to the fragile world that we all inhabit. Given the multitude of today’s challenges and perils, the role of the United Nations must constantly evolve and diversify in order to remain relevant and to promote freedom, prosperity and peace in troubled regions. Greece fully supports the Secretary-General’s efforts to lead the reforms needed to make the United Nations more effective.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“In national elections last July, Greek voters gave my New Democracy Party the support to form a strong majority Government and the mandate to chart a new course for our country that will build a more productive, more prosperous society, able to offer our people new opportunities to realize their dreams and fulfil their destinies. We moved quickly to carry out that mandate. In less than three months, we ended capital controls, initiated measures to spur privatization and attract investment, and passed legislation to cut taxes, open markets and reduce red tape. And we are just getting started. A new day has dawned in Greece, warmed by the clear light of reason and buoyed by the winds of change and hope.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)
“Allow me first to congratulate Ambassador Muhammad-Bande on his election as President of the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session. It is a great pleasure for me to address the General Assembly for the first time as the leader of the people who first developed the values that most of the modern world embraces — democracy, individual rights and equal justice under law. For the past decade, however, the story of the Greek people has suffered a series of misfortunes that have tested the will and mettle of our nation. But we struggled and persevered and this past summer we opened a new chapter in our enduring saga that will show once again what we are made of as a people and as a nation.”
2019-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 74 (2019)