The Head of the Greek Diplomatic Office in Kosovo, Ambassador Chryssoula Aliferi, began the lecture on “Greek Foreign Policy”, with the history of Greece and the Greek nation, the history of the formation of the Balkan nations and the historical developments of this territory.
Ambassador Aliferi also spoke about the parliamentary system of Greece, which has the same as the system as Kosovo.
She then spoke about the attitudes of the Greek people, saying that Greeks feel proud to belong to the Balkans. “We are a country that believes in the United Nations, in the charter of human rights, in multilateral diplomacy and we want to respect international law, we insist on facts.
We are a proud Balkan country. I say this because there are Balkans who are not proud to be called as such. We want to build bridges. We are in a privileged area. Very challenging, but privileged.”
The Greek diplomat also explained her country’s reports and attitudes towards the countries of the region such as Turkey, Albania and Northern Macedonia, emphasizing that they try to have good relations with them, and that Greece would be happy if they were to become an integral part of the UN.”
Speaking about the recognition of Kosovo by Greece, Ambassador Aliferi said that Greece has not yet recognized Kosovo, but they care about Kosovo, even more than some countries that have recognized us.
“We have not recognized you as a country, but we care, we care a lot, and sometimes we care more than some countries who have recognized Kosovo. I am thankful for the office, as I am the ambassador to the country.
Greece has been here through NATO, KFOR, Eulex. We had our people in UNMIK as well. We have helped Kosovo join specific international organizations. We recognize Kosovo passports and issue visas. We want visas removed. We have to wait for the decisions of our partners.
“We strongly favor visa liberalization for Kosovo” said Aliferi.
At the end of the lecture, in the discussion session with the students, the career diplomat Chryssoula Aliferi, also spoke about the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, saying that they support an EU-mediated dialogue, which would bring an ultimate solution to the matter.
“Good results will pave the way for many things. As for compromises, do not ask us, because we made our compromises years ago.
Life goes on, but you have to think about your future and the future of your children. Let your leaders be generous towards the opposite side.”
The lecture with the Greek Ambassador was organized as a part of the modules “Foreign Policy” and “History of Diplomacy”, which are lectured by Prof. Nehmedin Spahiu within the Faculty of Public Administration.
