Greek Foreign Policy for the Twenty-First Century

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, events of great importance changed the world we live in. From the most shocking tragedy of 11 September to the bombing attacks in Madrid and the recent acts of unspeakable brutality in Beslan, a dark parade of acts of blind violence has caused immense human suffering. These phenomena have increased our responsibility and cemented our will to work in solidarity for a safer and fair world. Fighting international terrorism has become the most pressing task among our priorities.

In this fight, we must prevail. Besides the scourge of terrorism, however, there are many more challenges and grave problems that afflict humanity. Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, human trafficking, organized crime, failing states, environmental catastrophes, social and economic crises, pandemics, large-scale humanitarian disasters, hunger, and poverty constitute the core problems that need to be faced in solidarity regardless of geography, culture, or religion.

Last year the secretary-general of the United Nations announced the creation of his Panel of Eminent Persons on Civil Society and UN Relations to assess these new threats and challenges and to suggest ways to deal with them, including reform of the multilateral international system. We fully support these efforts. Greece is eager to contribute constructively, to the best of its abilities, toward making the UN as effective as possible for the twenty-first century.

The great challenges and threats that confront us are a source of deep concern both for us and for the people we represent. Nevertheless, I am convinced that we must at all costs avoid being caught up in a mood of pessimism and worry about the future.

As far as Greece is concerned, it shares with millions of people around the world the hope, optimism, and determination that were recently highlighted by the Athens Olympic and Paralympic Games. In Athens, athletes of the world dedicated themselves to a noble cause and showed us that competition does not necessarily mean tension, friction, crisis, or conflict. On the contrary, they proved that the aspirations of all can not only coexist in peace but can also lead to the strengthening of friendship, solidarity, and cooperation between individuals and nations.

The ancient ideal of an Olympic truce expresses the hope of modern man for the peaceful resolution of conflicts that ravage the world. The UN General Assembly has often and unanimously adopted the Olympic truce and has also appealed to its member-states to respect the truce during the games. We must now make that appeal a tangible reality.

Multilateralism: Our Preferred Road to Peace

Multilateral cooperation is the safest way to a better world. We all should contribute to the enhancement and effectiveness of the international multilateral system. In this context, Greece fully shares the view of the secretary-general that we have to move rapidly from the existing culture of reaction to that of prevention.

For my country, the peaceful resolution of all disputes at an early stage on the basis of the UN Charter is of fundamental importance. We strongly believe that the UN system of conflict prevention, and its preventive potential should be further enhanced to respond better to the challenges ahead. The General Assembly's Resolution 57/337(2003) contains important recommendations in this regard, and we support these goals.

Moreover, Greece firmly supports and participates in all disarmament and nonproliferation initiatives aiming at the development of a safer world, free of threats from all kinds of weapons, either conventional or weapons of mass destruction. Peace and development are two mutually reinforcing sides of the same coin. Persistent poverty deprives nations of progress and provides a breeding ground for both internal and regional crises. Four years ago a landmark decision was taken to embark upon a long-term global evolution by adopting the Millennium Declaration. We committed ourselves to achieve the goals set by the year 2015. It would be a disappointment for mankind if we do not succeed in maximizing stable and sustainable development and eradicating hunger and poverty.

However, there are growing indications that, despite some progress, the world is lagging in...