ATHENS — "The EU Med 9 Summit took place on Friday, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcoming eight leaders from southern European countries and the President of the European Commission to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The government expresses absolute satisfaction with the extremely positive results of the Summit as they are reflected in both the political declaration and the Athens Declaration on Climate Change and the Environment in the Mediterranean," government spokesperson Yiannis Oikonomou said on Monday.

"The Athens Declaration, signed by all the European leaders of the South in the presence of the President of the Commission, is a milestone for EU Med 9. As is known, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is at the forefront of global initiatives to address the climate crisis and protect the natural environment. These initiatives are vital both for the quality of life and for the prosperity of our society, since tourism and our primary sector are inextricably linked to nature", Oikonomou said.

"Of major importance are the agreements that the leaders reached and which are reflected in the political declaration in terms of challenges in the Mediterranean that endanger security and stability in the region," Oikonomou added.

The nine leaders unanimously called upon all countries in the region to respect the sovereignty and sovereign rights of EU member-states and emphasised that the boundaries of maritime zones must be decided peacefully and in accordance with the law of the sea, he said.

As the government spokesperson also pointed out, "there was agreement about the possibility of increased migration flows after the developments in Afghanistan. The nine leaders made it clear that they would not allow the instrumentalisation of the migration issue and organised attempts for the illegal entry of migrants."

He added that "the issue of price increases in both gas and electricity prices has come to an end. The European-wide dimension of the problem was highlighted and the need for the European Commission to intervene was emphasised."

Oikonomou underlined: "Through this Summit it became clear that the prime minister through his personal prestige, international contacts and continuous effort has managed to upgrade the political and geostrategic role of Greece, effectively defending our national rights but also our aspirations at all levels."