Samaras meeting with Rasmussen: The NATO SG condemned the bloodshed in Ukraine

"The dramatic developments in Ukraine demonstrate the great importance of an organization that offers stability and security of NATO," Greek PM Antonis Samaras said after the meeting at Maximos Mansion with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen.
 
Samaras said that he and Rasmussen exchanged views on all issues in vie of the meeting of the organization in Wales the coming September and discussed the mission in Afghanistan. "We want stability and security but conditions are difficult. The circumstances and twists prevailing in Syria and the Middle East puzzle NATO. We must utilize the political dialogue. The institutional mechanism should always be turned on and thus we will achieve cooperation with Israel too.” The Greek PM also mentioned the expansion of NATO, saying that “each new membership candidacy is evaluated, there are the pre-accession stages, and each country must meet the criteria set by the alliance is a community of democratic values.”
 
Rasmussen condemned the bloodshed in Ukraine saying "I urge all members to stop this spiral of violence" and added that "the government of Ukraine has a responsibility to ensure that it will not engage the army. Dialogue is the only way forward."
 
He further said that "we are in the cradle of Democracy and the Democracy is the foundation of NATO. Democracy is in danger in the wider neighborhood. Greece has an active membership in the alliance," and referred to the role of Europe of which Greece has the presidency. "We want a strong Europe to ensure our interests," he said, adding that "we turn the page in our relations with Afghanistan."