Dendia’s message to Turkey from Armenia: We will do whatever it takes to defend our country – Revisionist policies will fail

A clear message to the revisionist countries, that “revisionist policies will fail”, the foreign minister sent from Yerevan Nikos Dendias during the joint statements with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzuan. “To mention a revisionist force, Turkey is trying to take advantage of the recent turmoil to undermine peace and stability, whether it is in the Caucasus or the Aegean,” Nikos Dendias pointed out.

In this context, the foreign minister spoke of an escalation of Turkish rhetoric. “Just yesterday, Turkey protested that Greece is sending some defensive weapons to the Greek island of Lesbos. This was done while Greece was acting in accordance with our obligations, as these obligations stem from the Treaty of Lausanne. Turkey protests because Greece does not leave its territories undefended. Who; Turkey which has issued a casus belli, a threat of war against Greece and has the largest amphibious fleet a few miles away from the Aegean islands”noted the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

I would like to send a clear message to countries that seek to redraw maps. And my message is that revisionist policies will fail (statement following my meeting with Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan). pic.twitter.com/9hR5Ou29yJ

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) September 27, 2022

Continuing, Nikos Dendias reiterated that Greece is ready and willing to participate in a constructive dialogue with Turkey, based on International Law, declaring at the same time that “we are also ready to defend our country and defend our rights”. “We will do whatever it takes to defend our country. We will do whatever it takes to defend our rights,” he emphasized clearly.

Also, Nikos Dendias made it clear again that Greece supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states, noting that this also applies to Armenia. “We believe in the inviolability of borders” he underlined, referring to the incidents that happened just a few days ago after the shelling of Armenian territory, including populated areas, by Azeri military forces. Quoting French President Emmanuel Macron, he said he strongly condemned what had happened in recent days and appealed for peace and a resumption of negotiations.

Focusing on bilateral relations, the Foreign Minister expressed Greece’s solidarity with its government and people of Armenia and noted that “the historical relations of the two countries go back centuries”. As he pointed out, today they also had the opportunity to review the excellent bilateral relations and added that historical tragedies unite us. “The Hellenic Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1996. The Armenian Parliament recognized the Greek and Assyrian Genocide in 2015,” he said.

He made special reference to the Armenian community in Greece, including thousands of Greek citizens, underlining that it is a strong bond of connection.

Furthermore, he characterized the cooperation of the two countries in international organizations as exemplary and expressed his gratitude for Armenia’s support regarding the illegal occupation of part of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. He also expressed his satisfaction that the two countries mutually support their candidacies for the UN Security Council.

Equally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized that he looks forward to strengthening the tripartite partnership with Cyprus to a new level. Referring to their tripartite meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, he underlined the need to “work to strengthen the EU-Armenia relationship” and pledged to seek to secure an invitation for the Armenian Foreign Minister to address to the EU Foreign Affairs Council as soon as possible and inform them of what is happening.

Regarding the security challenges in the Caucasus, the foreign minister thanked his Armenian counterpart for the briefing on this matter. “Our position on Nagorno-Karabakh remains unchanged,” emphasized Nikos Dendias and explained that he supports the achievement of a peaceful, mutually acceptable solution within the framework of International Law. As he pointed out, International Law is the “Holy Gospel” of Greek foreign policy. And in this regard, he also welcomed the courage of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to propose a new approach for a new future in this region. However, he observed that solutions and peace cannot be built when there is a threat of violence. This applies to the Caucasus region, this applies to the world, and of course the Eastern Mediterranean, he added.

In this direction, he underlined that Greece will continue to support the resumption of bilateral negotiations, as well as the contribution of the European Union and the United States to this effort, which is also facilitated by the OSCE Minsk Group. “We are also ready, together with other EU partners, to help mediate a possible solution,” he said. Because at the end of the day, he continued, “we can’t change geography. But people have the opportunity to live peacefully side by side. We also believe that humanitarian issues must be resolved immediately. And International Humanitarian Law must be respected.”

After the joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart, the Foreign Minister will be received by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The Minister of Defense of Armenia, Suren Papikyan, will also participate in this meeting.

The visit to Armenia will conclude with a working lunch that will be hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia to his Greek counterpart. It is noted that this is the second visit of the foreign minister to Armenia in less than two years. The first visit of the Greek foreign minister to Yerevan took place on 16.10.2020.

RES-EMP

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