Israeli Foreign Minister pays visit to Greece
Cohen, who paid an official visit to Athens, met with Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Gerapetritis.
Speaking at the press conference organised after the meeting, Cohen expressed his satisfaction for being the first foreign minister to visit the country after the formation of the new government in Greece.
Cohen stated that the visit showed the rapprochement in bilateral relations.
Cohen stated that Israel intends to preserve the existing cooperation with Greece in areas such as trade, economy, technology, and tourism, noting that the number of tourists coming to Greece from Israel exceeds 1 million 300 thousand annually.
Cohen also referred to the events in Jenin last week and argued that Israel is fighting terrorist organisations, not Palestine.
Cohen argued that no civilians lost their lives in Jenin and claimed that only terrorists were targeted.
Stating that Greece condemns all forms of terrorism, Gerapetritis said that violence is not a solution or an answer.
Stating that they are closely following the developments in the region, Gerapetritis said:
"We are concerned about the increasing violence. We condemn all forms of terrorism. It is clear that violence is neither a solution nor an answer. The right of states to security must be fully respected. It is now necessary for all sides to maintain calm and self-control in order to de-escalate the crisis. I would like to reiterate Greece's position in favour of a mutually acceptable solution to the Palestinian question, as this is in the interest of both sides and the people."
Stating that the two countries want to increase cooperation in many areas such as economy, tourism and technology, Gerapetritis pointed out that the trade volume between Greece and Israel reached 1 billion 400 million euros in 2022.
Gerapetritis noted that he believes that Israel's relations with the European Union (EU) should be improved, and that the cooperation between Israel, Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus (GASC), Greece and the United States was also discussed during the meeting.
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