“Greece continues to believe in dialogue and does not follow the divisive rhetoric of Turkey. However, we are ready for any eventuality and we will never question the sovereignty of our country “, said the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, from Estonia, where she continues her official visit at the invitation of the President of the country, Alar Karis.
During the joint press conference given by the two Presidents after their enlarged talks in Tallinn, Ms. Sakellaropoulou stated that “Greece – from the first moment – condemned the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine that destabilizes the international legal order” and noted that “the Ukrainian people are defending European values.”
He stressed that “respect for the territorial integrity, national sovereignty and independence of all states, as well as the avoidance of the use or threat of use of force in international relations, are fundamental principles of international law and pillars of Greek foreign policy. “And of course I am glad that my friend Estonia, with whom we work harmoniously, within the framework of the European Union, NATO and other international organizations, fully shares these principles of international law.”
As he pointed out, “Estonia and Greece, although at a great geographical distance from each other, are well aware of the dangers posed by revisionism and the questioning of the rules of international law.”
In the same context, Ms. Sakellaropoulou underlined: “For my country, common values ​​and principles are of particular importance, as we face, almost every day, an ongoing and escalating delinquent activity on the part of Turkey“which is registered -unfortunately- in the context of a dangerous revisionism, makes bilateral communication difficult and carries risks for further destabilization of the wider region”.
“Such a danger arises from the dangerous views and illegal actions of Turkey on the Cyprus issue, where the only solution that can be accepted is a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, based on the relevant decisions of the UN Security Council and in accordance with the European acquis and the fundamental values ​​and principles of the European Union “, he added.
Asked about recent statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoganfor the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakakos Mitsotakis, but also his position for the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO, answered:
“President Erdogan has used these exaggerated expressions again. In general, Turkey is characterized by an aggressive and excessive rhetoric on issues related to its relations with Greece. When he met with the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Mitsotakis, a few months ago, they had agreed to have peace in the Aegean. Nevertheless, we have continuous violations of the airspace of Greece with overflights, as well as other delinquent behaviors on the part of Turkey. “This behavior does not suit an allied country – because we are allies in NATO – beyond the neighborhood we have.”
“We are ready for all possibilities”
However, he stated that “Greece continues to believe in dialogue and the Greek side does not follow the divisive rhetoric of the Turkish. Of course we are ready for all contingencies, we will never question the sovereignty of our country. As for the request of Sweden and Finland, which is obviously also an achievement of Mr. Putin, Greece believes that they are important allies and already their cooperation with NATO is excellent. Therefore, it is very important that this process proceed. Turkey’s reaction is a bargain, as usual. In other words, it is trying to achieve exchanges, using the veto for the process of accession of these two countries to NATO “.
Asked about the two different views on the attempt to de-escalate the military tension created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the President of the Republic replied:
“Peacekeepers” are based on a statement by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about a month ago that the threat of war in Ukraine poses a triple crisis: in food supply, in energy, in financial markets. . He even called it a “perfect storm”, which will endanger the economies of developing countries. “On the contrary, the ‘followers of justice’ raise the issue that Russia can not escape unscathed from the enormous security crisis it has caused in Europe and the wider world.”
He also reminded that “the Greek Foreign Minister has asked in writing from the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to conduct an investigation into whether war crimes have been committed in areas such as Mariupol and Odessa.” He even agreed with President Karis that the answer to this question should be given by the sovereign Ukrainian people. Because Russia invaded a sovereign country, Ukraine. “And in practical matters, such as that of food, solutions can indeed be sought from the European Union and from all the interlocutors, how can – for example – cereals continue to be exported from Ukraine and reach their destination” .
In another question about Mariupol and the Greek community there, Ms. Sakellaropoulou noted, among other things, that from the first moment of the invasion, Greece showed particular interest in the Greek communities of Ukraine, seven evacuation operations were carried out and efforts were made to facilitate as many people as possible to come to Greece, where many have relatives.
He added that the president of the Greek community in Mariupol, Ms. Protsenko, is already in Thessaloniki and continues to coordinate, communicate and facilitate those who can, while emphasizing that Greece is committed to assist as much as possible in repairing damage and helping no. only in Mariupol and Odessa, but more generally in the context of reorganization of the country, when finally the solution of this situation is coming to an end.
Referring to her visit to Estonia, she expressed her joy that coincides with the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Greek-Estonian diplomatic relations and reminded that Greece is intertwined with the accession of Estonia to the European family, given that our country enlargement of the European Union and the accession treaty of Estonia were signed in 2003 in Athens.
He also pointed out the priority that Greece attaches to the development of bilateral relations, especially in the economic sector and trade with Estonia. As he said, “we encourage all those investments that will upgrade the productive base of our country, in a constructive and sustainable way, as well as the strategic cooperation in key sectors, from which both parties will benefit. By way of example, I note the well-known high performance of Estonia in the field of digitization / e-government and cybersecurity, as privileged areas for strengthening bilateral cooperation “.
He thanked the President, Alar Karis, for his warm hospitality and added that he looks forward to visiting Tartu to see not only the city but also the great achievements of the country, especially in the issue of the digitization of justice, from which the country we would love to see and learn a lot.
The President of the Republic is accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andreas Katsaniotis.
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