Greece — Statement

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 5:01 pm on 6 July 2015.

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Photo of The Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester Bishop 5:01, 6 July 2015

My Lords, I was struck in the Statement by the sentence:

“Greece is a proud nation and a very long-standing ally of the United Kingdom”.

The danger in all of this is that, because we are not in the eurozone, we slightly sit on the fence, hedge our bets or stand on the sidelines. That can leave a certain vacuum. I have been very upset by the rhetoric between Germany and Greece in recent weeks—on both sides. The two nations are a little like chalk and cheese in so many ways. Politically, I wonder whether there is not a role, precisely because we are not in the eurozone politically, that we are not taking. What high-level contacts have there been between the Greek Government and the UK Government on these political issues?