“We will not have a dialogue as Turkey wants, putting issues on the agenda that a sovereign state cannot accept under any circumstances,” said the deputy foreign minister
“We wish for dialogue with Turkey, however we are sending the message that our national sovereignty is non-negotiable,” Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said in an interview with SKAI and on the show “Today”.
“Of course, the dialogue must be conducted with rules that are none other than respect for International Law and the Law of the Sea. We will not have a dialogue as Turkey wants, putting issues on the agenda that a sovereign state cannot accept under any circumstances.”
Mr. Barviciotis he added that Greece is more prepared than ever, having increased the readiness level of the Armed Forces, which provokes Turkey’s reaction.
Greece, he underlined, will not back down on its armaments or its international alliances and will not demilitarize its islands, because Turkey wants it. He pointed out that Mr. Erdogan is particularly bothered by upgrade of the port of Alexandroupoli and strengthening the American presence there.
Speaking of her visit of the German foreign minister Annalena Burbock in Athens, Mr. Varvitsiotis said that first of all we expect the good level of Greek-German relations to be seen, recalling that in this context he had visited Berlin a few days ago.
He noted the change in the German attitude towards Turkey, after the meeting of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with the result that today Germany identifies with the Greek position that disputes must be resolved on the basis of International Law, that there is absolute respect in Greek sovereignty and that no one is discussing any concession or retreat of Greece towards its sovereign rights just because Turkey demands it.
He also pointed out that the Prime Minister’s proposals as reflected in his letter to Ursula von der Leyen on how solidarity in the energy crisis will work in the EU have been embraced by many EU members, including Germany, noting that it is another success of of Greek foreign policy the fact that we managed to put the issue of the European response to the energy crisis high on the European agenda.
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