Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs, George Gerapetritis, following the completion of his visit to Japan, Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (Seoul, 21.07.2026)
We had the opportunity to visit Korea and have extensive consultations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and his mission on the development of bilateral relations, for a common path to address international and regional problems. We are connected to Korea by historical ties, dating back to the time of the Korean War, more than 75 years ago, when Greece, under the flag of the United Nations, contributed decisively to the consolidation of democracy and prosperity in extremely difficult times.
This completes a cycle of contacts and visits that began in Japan, continued in Vietnam and ended in Korea. The common point of the visits to the three countries is that they are rising powers in the diplomatic regional and international arena.
Japan and Korea in the Indo-Pacific region, with which the European Union has very strong ties, as well as Vietnam, precisely within the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. What connects us is our belief in international law and in particular, in the International Law of the Sea. We had an absolute common understanding on issues that concern regional and international cutting-edge issues.
What we will do is to coordinate even more by taking initiatives, so that it becomes universally accepted that there can be no concessions to international law, especially the International Law of the Sea.
In particular, with these countries Japan, Vietnam and Korea, we also discussed issues related to international trade. Greece will have a strong presence, especially through its shipping community. Our shipping has a very strong footprint in the Southeast Asian region. We will develop more actions, which will concern new forms of shipping, green shipping, innovation, research and of course, the training of seafarers.
Greece, capitalizing on its strong presence in the United Nations Security Council and using its belief in international multilateralism as a vehicle, is expanding its collaborations and continuously making its presence in the world even more active.
: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece