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Home arrow newsitems arrow Forthcoming CoE President, Greek Minister Varvitsiotis to EF: After Hardships, Strengthen CoE Voice

Forthcoming CoE President, Greek Minister Varvitsiotis to EF: After Hardships, Strengthen CoE Voice

Written by ACM
Thursday, 12 December 2019

 

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*Brussels/EU Summit/Angelo Marcopolo/- During a Press Briefing on the Sidelines of EU's Heads of State/Government's Summit this December 2019 in Brussels, "Eurofora" asked the Competent Greek Minister, Miltiades Varvitsiotis, in charge of European Affairs, about his Plans for the CoE, the 47 Member States-strong PanEuropean Organisation (including Russia, etc) for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, that Greece will Chair Next Year.

The Young but Experienced Minister reacted mainly by expressing the wish to Help Strengthen CoE's Voice Now, after several Difficult Years, as he said, (probably meaning the UnPrecedented Division of the PanEuropean Organisation of Strasbourg, since the Ukranian Crisis, as far as Russia etc. is concerned, to which were added even more, growing Problems with Turkey recently).  

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 - "Eurofora" pointed at the Forthcoming Greek Presidency of the CoE, during 2020, and Asked Varvitsiotes, in Substance, how he evaluated the Potential Importance of CoE's main Competences for Key Topical Issues Nowadays.

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 - "We (Greece) take over on May" 2020, Replied, at first, with precision in a "matter of Fact" attitude, Miltiades Varvitsiotes, referring to the Rotating Chairmanship of CoE's Highest Political body, that of its Committee of Ministers, from May to November 2020, mostly included.

- "We know the Issues", and "have a good Experience in CoE's Parliamentary Assembly", pointed out Varvitsiotes, who had been Recently Elected, by CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, as a New vice-President of the Biggest Political Group of MEPs : that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, (Comp., f.ex., his Statements to "Eurofora" then, at: ..., etc) : I.e., by a Timely Coincidence, the Same as that of CoE's New Secetary General, Marija Pejčinović-Burić, former vice-Prime Minister of Croatia, in charge of Foreign and European policy, who has just Started her 2019-2024 Mandate last October 2019, (See, f.ex., her Reply to an "Eurofora" Quesstion when she was Brillantly Elected on June, at : ..., etc).

The currently New Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of European Issues, was, indeed, previously in charge of Migration and Refugee policy at the Main Opposition Party in Greece, "New Democracy", (currently in the Government), and entrusted with the duty to Prepare the 1st National Congress of "New Democracy" Party, which was organized by its new President, Kyriakos Mitsotakes, the New Prime Minister of Greece, (with the Moto : "Oxygen", for Freedom of Ideas, Democracy, Productivity, Creativity, etc), after having Served, earlier, also as former Minister of Maritime Transports (where, traditionaly, Greece holds a notoriously Key Role at a Global Level) and of Aegean Sea, as well as F. President of the Greek Parliament's Foreign Policy Committee. He has Studied Law in Greece (Athens University), Political Science and International Relations at Harvard University (Boston, USA), before being Elected Many Times in a Row as MP, from 2004 up to Nowadays, Regularly Accredited to - and Attending - CoE's Assembly in Strasbourg.


+ Moreover, "I Like, and Respect the Institution" of the CoE, added the Young, mainstream Politician, who is Son of former Long-Time vice-President of the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Party in Europe, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Justice, Education and Trade, as well as, more Recently, Top MEP in EU Parliament, Dr. John Varvitsiotes, (that "Eurofora" had the Chance to contact several times in Strasbourg), a close ally of Historic Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, exiled in Paris during the Colonels' regime (1967-1974), in a Family of mainstream Politicians who used to serve the modern Greek State since its creation almost from the Beginning of the 19th Century.

=> - So that "We (Greece) Aim at a (2020) Presidency that will Help Strengthen the Voice of the CoE !", Clearly Stressed Miltiades Varvitsiotes in the Main Core of his Reply to the above-mentioned "Eurofora"s Question, (Comp. Supra). His Official Duties as Minister, Nowadays, concern EU Affairs (including EU Parliament), the PanEuropean CoE, relevant issues of Migration and Refugees, etc, where he represents Greece, whenever necessary together with Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, (a former JHA, Defense, and Development Minister, F. Collegue at CoE's Assembly in Strasbourg, where he was appointed several times as Rapporteur, Elected President of Migration and Refugees' Committee, etc).

- Considering, particularly, that it (the CoE) "has Suffered a lot during the Latest Years", regretted Varvitsiotis, probably speaking of the 2014-2019+ Division of the PanEuropean Space of the 47 Member States-Wide CoE, After the Ukranian Issue was Provoked, Affecting mainly Relations to Russia, but Also interrelated Financial, GeoPolitical, and Other Problems, Added to Turkey-related Developments,  - f.ex. on clashes in Kurdish Villages since 2015, around the alleged Army "Coup" of 2016, Followed by many Tens of Thousands of Dismissed and/or Persecuted Journalists, Civil Servants, as Teachers a.o., even Judges, Policemen, Army Staff, etc, as well as the Military Invasions/Occupations of Syrian Kurdish Afrin (2018) and North-Eastern Regions (2019), along the Turkish Borders, etc.

Last, but not least, "Eurofora" was Positively Surprized, Previously in Strasbourg, when we Witnessed the UnExpected Fact that even a Young Politician from the Establishment, as Miltiades, could be Original, Aware, and Conscious enough in order to Judge, f.ex., that, during a CoE Assembly's Plenary Session with Dozens of Matters for Debate and/or Vote, those which concern Crucial "Bio-Ethical" Issues, would be "the Most Important', and should be given a Priority... A very Useful Stance, Nowadays, when the PanEuropean Organisation for Human Rights, i.e. the CoE, would have, inter alia, f.ex., also to Deal with Heritable Genetic Manipulations, Affecting even Future Generations, which may Challenge the Future of Humanity, (See, f.ex., : ... + ..., etc).

 


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Former "Green-Red" German government's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's job at the controversial Turkish pipeline "Nabucco" was denounced as "not proper", "very bad", and "incompatible with Democracy", by the new President of EU Parliament's EuroLeft Group, German Lothar Bisky, replying to an "EuroFora" question.

For once, criticism of Joschka Fischer's doings with Turkey affecting Europe, didn't come only from the Center-Right of the political spectrum, but even from his Left side : The experienced Bisky, who has been chairing all over 1993-2009 the PDS - Die Linke party :  

- "Former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer got involved in dealings with oil-gaz business in a foreign country, Turkey, and its controversial Nabucco pipeline. This raises questions about Democracy, also because of the well known problems of Human Rights violations in that country. Do you thing that this might be abused in order to cover up and close EU's eyes on Human Rights violations ?", "EuroFora" asked Bisky.

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- "Nabucco pipeline is (only) at the planning stage". And "there are some difficulties",  he observed from the start. But "'I don't want to get into the details of Nabucco pipeline, because I don't think that there is any point for it at the moment".
 
At any case,  "we  (EU Parliament's EuroLeft Group) strongly believe that Politicians should not get involved in the Energy Business, and all these commercial transactions", President Bisky declared on the Joschka Fiischer's affair.

- "We feel that it's something that shouldn't be done. It's not proper !"           

- "We don't think that it's compatible with Democracy either, and it gets politics into a very Bad track", Bisky went on to denounce.
                                                                                                                                                                        
- "EuroLeft  and "Die Linke" always spoke against that, saying that politicians should not get directly into the arms of private enterprises"

- "It is pretty bad if a former Minister takes a job f.ex. in a major Energy producer. So, it's an issue if a Minister who may have seen excellent opportunities, subsequently gets personally grasp of them, in very serious parts of the economy, once he has given up his (Government) job."

- "It doesn't really make politics in general look any better'", Bisky concluded.

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Earlier, this week in Strasbourg, other Journalists had also raised critical questions on former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's involvement in the conroversial Turkish Nabucco pipeline to the President of his own EuroParty : Kohn-Bendit of the "Greens", who, contrary to Bisky, tried to find excuses for Fischer, while criticizing his long-time partner, Schroeder for having done a similar move :

- "Shroeder was chancellor", and he "negociated" with "Russians", who gave him a job only "3 Months" after he resigned from the Government. While "Joschka Fischer", on the contrary, got a job with the controversial Turkish Nabucco pipeline only "4 Years after" he left the Government. "He didn't negociate Nabucco", so I have "no objection", Kohn Bendit claimed.

But, many Facts indicate the contrary :

Joschka Fischer was Foreign Minister in Germany from 1999 up to 2005 : I.e. from the year that EU took the controversial decision to give Turkey a "Candidate" status, until he year it started controversial "accession negotiations, (later declared "open-ended" after Sarkozy-Merkel's arrival from 2005-2007).

During that period was prepared the controversial so-called "Annan" Plan (in fact, drafted by others and attributed afterwards to the former UN SG) on Cyprus, which failed after a Popular Referendum said "No" on 2004 with a large Majoriy of 3/4 : 75%. Mainly because it was criticized for making too much concessions to the Turkish side :  Particularly by restricting Greek Cypriot Refugees' Human Right to return to their ancestral Land and/or get restitution of their Familiy Homes and private properties, usurpated by Ankara's Army since the 1974 militay invasion and continuing occupation of the northern part of Cyprus. And by weakening the Central Government, leaving to 2 "constituent States" so much powers and separate interests that more conflicts appeared inevitable, provoking the danger of a break-down in the foreseable future, with more crisis, troubles, perhaps bloodshed, etc., instead of creating an harmoniously integrated, really one federal State.

The controversial Plan was finalized on March-April 2004 at Burgenstock (Switzerland), curiously in the presence of an Envoy by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, then governed by Joschka Fischer, but in the absence of a French and not even an European Union's Envoy, contrary to what was usually practiced on similar occasions in Switzerland (fex. in 1997 at Montreux, in 2000 at Geneva, etc).

Turkey notoriously exploited the failure of the "Annan" Plan in order to convince the EU to decide to start accession Negotiations on December 2004. This provoked an unprecedented series of Institutional Crisis inside the EU, shortly afterwards, when French and Dutch People rejected, 2 popular EuroReferenda by a majority "'No" vote to the EU Constitutional Treaty on 2005, aggraveted in 2004 a Majority Abstention to EU Elections, etc., followed by the recent Irish "No", etc.

"Nabucco" Gas pipeline was notoriously planned since ..2002. It follows an even earlier idea, for an Oil pipeline Baku-Ceyhun, which started to be prepared on 1999-2001 and was meanwhile recently completed.  

So, facts indicate that what is now at stake is based on decisions made during Joschka Fischer's term as former Foreign Minister, closely interested in Turkey's controversial EU-bid.

To the point that he now practically ...switched jobs with a poliician from Turkey, (the State which pays today openly Joschka Fischer), Mr. Ozdemir, who came earlier in Germany, got fast the nationality, and became EiuroMP in a few years, continuing now as head of the "Greens" in Germany, i.e. in Joschka's former job !...

Such astonishing facts risk, unfotunately, to give to German politician Lothar Bisky's criticism of  representative Democracy a topical meaning :

 - "We (EuroLeft Group) think that what is really at stake is Democracy. It's not only about Gas Pipelines or Energy sources", President Lothar Bisky went on to add in his reply to "EuroFora"'s question on Joscka Fischer's personal interests in the controversial Turkish "Nabuco" pipeline.

Such facts, "make People get more distance from Politics. ...People had had enough, and they are fed up !".

- "That's why we (EuroParliament's "EuroLeft" Group) want to strengthen Direct Democracy in Europe. Citizens should be involved in the (EU) Decision-making. In the end of the day, it's not going to help anyone if Politicians are always taking decisions, without involving Citizens. We want to give a voice to the People of Europe. They've got to have their say in the decisions that are taken. That's one of our absolutely fixed and steadfast views. We want more Direct Democracy in Europe. That's how it can become more effective and stronger", he concluded.

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