PRIME MINISTER MITSOTAKIS ADDRESS THE U. N. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

"Let's give diplomacy a chance," said Prime Minister Mitsotakis, during his address to the 75th United Nations' General Assembly, referring to the upcoming talks with Turkey.

In this speech, which was held on teleconference due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Mitsotakis concentrated on three issues which are: 

The global response to COVID-19, 

The immigration issue, and 

Turkey's recent decision to have a dialogue with Greece after years of inflammatory rhetoric and aggressive acts against Greece and Cyprus.

Referring to the coronavirus crisis the Greek Prime Minister congratulated his compatriots for the way they responded to the first wave of the plague, quoting the great Greek philosopher Aristotle "Nature has never done anything uselessly, in other words, nature forces us to innovate,"

Mr Mitsotakis urges the world to take "preemptive action on climate change,  on biodiversity, on tackling the causes of migration, and on the development and sustainability of the human kind."

Speaking on the  diplomatic approach of solving the differences with Turkey, the Prime Minister said:

"I refuse to believe that partnership between near neighbours is not possible, let us give diplomacy a chance.  If after all, we still cannot agree, then we should trust the wisdom of the International Court at the Hague."

On the migration issue, the Prime Minister said that Greece can not manage this issue alone.. 

"While our migrant numbers are down, our coastguards are 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 the failure.  That is why we must try more together to tackle the root causes of migration, economic uncertainty, exploitation, violence and war."  

(I wish to thank the Greek press and the television programs and Greek Reporter blog for the valuable information for this post) 

I also wish to thank our government for ruling with responsibility, sensibility and generosity, during this very difficult period.