“It is wrong to turn such fora into anti-Turkish steps, and we will not do it,” said high-ranking diplomatic sources.
The joy of being there “In the city where Kemal was born” reportedly, in his speech, the Turkish Deputy Minister in charge of European Affairs Farouk Kaimaktsi at the SEE Cooperation Summit held in Thessaloniki.
The hour that Turkey is escalating its challengesthe Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias he made sense to reply that Kemal was his friend Eleftherios Venizelos, who even proposed him for the Nobel Peace Prize (in 1934).
“Greece has a leading role”
“It’s wrong to turn such fora in anti-Turkish steps, and we will not do it, “said high-ranking diplomatic sources.
“What worries us most is the influence of Islamic fundamentalism in the Balkans, which, unfortunately, Turkey is serving today. “Even Turkey is in danger from him.” underlined the diplomatic circles.
“This Summit is of historic importance for the Balkans, which until now fought and are now discussing their accession to the EU,” they noted. “Even the Turkish minister, they stressed, spoke about his own European perspective, something that no one expected to hear.
“Everyone wants to join, but the EU is lagging behind. “It is extremely important for us that they come to ‘our stadium’,” they commented.
All attendees agreed on the need for connectivity (pipelines) for energy.
“Greece has a leading role, and the Thessaloniki Summit is a huge success for Greece,” they stressed. To this, the diplomatic sources added, Thessaloniki has historically played a central role.
According to rthess.gr, Mr. Dendias had a short conversation with the Turkish minister during the preparation of the family photo. The Greek Foreign Minister turned to look for Mr. Kaimaktsi and while locating him, the Turk asked if he was to come forward. Then Mr. Dendias hit him gently on the arm. The trip to the table had Mr. Dendias and Mr. Kaimaktsi sitting close to each other with their Montenegrin counterpart taking over the presidency of the Summit from the first of July.
“Greece is not going to fuel the escalation of tension”
“Greece is not going to use constant statements to fuel the escalation of tension with Turkey,” he said. earlier the Foreign Minister from Thessaloniki, to note that the great lesson from Russian invasion of Ukraine is that revisions lead nowhere.
“I think the Greek side has given a clear writing sample. “We are not going to contribute with insulting statements, with irregular, illegal, irrational claims, with allegations beyond the limits of international law to a permanent escalation with our neighbor Turkey,” said Mr. Dendias, answering a question before the start of its work. Foreign Ministers, in the framework of the Cooperation Process in SE Europe, and continued: “We always look forward to resolving all disputes within the framework of International Law, the International Law of the Sea, with a clear priority of the protection of territorial integrity of all states. What matters, I think, for Europe, for the world, is to realize that revisions are leading nowhere. I think this is the great lesson that emerges from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, so that we can come to terms with the real basis of the problems, namely the creation of prosperity and cooperation between peoples. I repeat Greece these are not permanent statements to fuel the escalation of this intensity We are moving to another perception and another logic “.
Greece is a force for stability and prosperity in the wider region, the Prime Minister stressed from the co-capital Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
“A stable and strong government is a precondition for national success. We had her and I am sure that we will have her after the next national elections “, added Kyriakos Mitsotakis, adding that” I was asked on the radio this morning “will your appearance at the Thessaloniki International Fair be pre-election?”. And I said the obvious: it is the last Thessaloniki Exhibition before the next elections that will take place in ’23 “.
