BRATISLAVA — The European Union has not yet reached the point of having a common foreign policy, said Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias at the roundtable on "EU’s Global Leadership in the post-Covid-19 Era" in Bratislava on Thursday.

The minister added that the EU also lacks a common security policy "and the understanding that it must defend its values not only gently but also harshly, if necessary," he told the foreign ministers of France, Germany, Romania and Slovakia, who attended the meeting in the context of the GLOBSEC 2020 Bratislava Forum.

Commenting on the EU's power of intervention, he noted that "although financially a giant, the EU is not acting as a union in military ways," citing the example of Libya, "where months of negotiations were necessary before the EU took action in the context of the UN arms embargo.

"We have allowed Turkey to transport thousands of jihadists from Syria to Libya. We have not reacted appropriately," Dendias stressed, adding that the EU remains a project under construction that may take time, but will achieve the desired result. Concerning the recent tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, he pointed out that "Greece did not feel as though we had all the solidarity we wanted" and that in terms of the Turkish violations against Cyprus, "once again, the EU was extremely unwilling to impose sanctions."

Regarding the upcoming American elections, he said he hopes there will be no surprises the day after, "that we will know who the president will be and that everyone will accept the result. I have no illusions that, regardless of who is elected, America will continue to withdraw from its international role. Europe has a greater responsibility for foreign and security policy," he stated.