Greece’s goal is to communicate in all directions the aggressive “mobility” of Turkey, contrasting our country’s commitment to peace and security in the wider Mediterranean region
By Penelope Galliou
With steady steps, on the trajectory of the internationalization of Turkish provocation that it has carved out a long time ago, Athens is restarting in the coming days a new diplomatic marathon, the focus of which will be the developments in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region and the intensifying Turkish provocations.
Greece’s goal is to communicate in all directions the aggressive “mobility” of Turkey, contrasting the fluid landscape created by Ankara with our country’s commitment to peace and security in the wider Mediterranean region, where we act as a pillar of stability.
In a period when Turkey chooses to once again open the fan of challenges in all fields, both with its aggressive rhetoric against Greece and its non-existent doubts at the expense of international treaties and International Law itself, as well as in the field of outlining – still at least – a murky landscape regarding the drilling it plans in the Eastern Mediterranean in August.
First stop is Cyprus
His diplomatic “fight”. Nikos Dendias starts today from Cyprus where the Minister of Foreign Affairs will participate in the Summit of the Heads of Diplomatic Missions of Cyprus and then he will meet with his Cypriot counterpart, Ioannis Kasoulidis and they will also make joint statements.
The discussions between the two ministers are part of the ongoing cooperation and coordination of the two countries, while they are expected to focus, among other things, on the developments in Cyprus and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, given the new conditions that may develop in the wider region after the announcement of the of Turkey for the drilling of the drilling rig “Abdul Hamit Khan” in an area that will be announced by Tayyip Erdogan himself, on August 9, that is, the day when the Turkish drilling rig will depart from the port of Mersin.
Also of interest is the fact that since Saturday (23/7) the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus already had a teleconference with his German counterpart Analena Burbock, who will be in Athens on Friday and her next stop will be Ankara. The two Ministers of Cyprus and Germany had a “useful and productive discussion” on a multitude of issues concerning bilateral relations, but also the Cyprus issue, as well as regional and international challenges.
The arrival of Analena Burbok
The next “appointment” of Nikos Dendias is scheduled with German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock on Friday, as part of her first visit to Greece (July 28-29). This is a visit, which was planned in June, but was postponed due to the fact that the German Minister had tested positive for the coronavirus, canceling her then trip to both Athens and Ankara.
The same route is expected to be followed this time by Mrs. Berbog with a first stop in Athens and then a visit to Ankara.
On Friday, the two foreign ministers, Greece and Germany, will have a private meeting, where it is expected that, in addition to the wide range of bilateral Greek-German relations, all the developments from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its effects will be discussed. the situation in the Balkans, while they are expected to focus on the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the conditions that are taking shape there due to Turkey’s fault, with regard to the stability and security of the wider region.
Dendia’s visit to Paris
Immediately after the end of his meeting with his German counterpart, Analena Burbock, Nikos Dendias will move to Paris, where he will meet with his new French counterpart Catherine Colonna. This is the first bilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of Greece and France after the French elections and is considered – according to diplomatic sources – important from a symbolic point of view, as it takes place immediately after the meeting with the German foreign minister, who after Athens will go to in Ankara.
And in the four of Nikos Dendias with his French counterpart, the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean are expected to be at the center of attention, in the light of the climate created in the wider region by the Turkish provocative actions and statements by the officials of the neighbor as well as by the president himself. Tayyip Erdogan.
The agenda of the discussions also includes:
* The further deepening of the bilateral strategic relationship, after the signing of the strategic cooperation agreement last September.
* The new European security architecture after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this context, it is expected to examine the implications of the situation in Ukraine on food security, particularly in the countries of the wider Mediterranean region, the Middle East and Africa.
* The development of European defense and security, in the light of the forthcoming enlargement of NATO.
* The European perspective of the Western Balkans, following the convergence of the first intergovernmental conference with Albania and North Macedonia, in the context of the efforts made by the French Presidency of the EU Council
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