I think that the future of Turkey is to come closer to us, to become the best friend with Greece and finally to become, in the distant future, a candidate and member country of the EU, commented the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Turkey’s attitude towards Greece is not working in its favor, said Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, speaking at a webinar organized by The Hellenic Initiative Australia.
He specifically added that Athens is watching Ankara “return to a neo-Ottoman ideological approach, a revisionism centered on the reconstitution of the Ottoman Empire in terms of ‘Blue Homeland’, which includes half of the Aegean and a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean”.
Mr. Dendias said: “The obvious way forward for Turkey is to remain an ally within NATO and a country that would like to get as close as possible to the European Union, meaning the values ​​and principles of the European Union, not just the single market, and finally, in some distant future, to become a member of the European Union.
I have to say that what we are hearing, what we are seeing, what is happening on the other side of the Aegean is that Turkey is deviating from the NATO example or the European example, in the sense that it is upholding values ​​in a way that is completely opposite to that which is expected to make a modern country of the 21st century.
We see Turkey returning to a neo-Ottoman ideological approach, a revisionism centered on reconstituting the Ottoman Empire in terms of a ‘Blue Homeland’, encompassing half of the Aegean and much of the Eastern Mediterranean.
And also issuing a threat of war against Greece if Greece extends, as it is entitled to under international law, its territorial waters to 12 miles, etc.
Overflights over the Greek islands, and even mainland Greece, are a daily agenda for this ministry. And countless other challenges against Greece.
Frankly speaking, I don’t think this is something that works in Turkey’s favor.
I think that the future of Turkey – and I believe that this is what a large part of Turkish society wants – is to come closer to us, to become the best friend with Greece and finally to become, in the distant future, a candidate and a member country of The European Union.
But, unfortunately, that has a long way to go and we don’t seem to be getting any closer.”
View the news feed and get the latest news.
