Dendias: Our ambition is not to be led by a random incident to worse with Turkey

A decisive message that the Greek armed forces have absolutely sufficient capability and that we will not be alone, but if necessary we can do it alone, issued the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias, to applause, in an open debate organized by the Alpha Bank Staff Association on the topic “Greek foreign policy – Everything is now moving at the limits”. In his comment on today’s fall of the F-4 fighter jet and the loss of its co-pilot, Nikos Dendias said that it is a sad day for the family of the Armed Forces, but also for the whole of our country. “We remember three officers we lost in the line of duty and today we lost a fourth. This is a stark reminder that many people, many executives put their lives on the line to protect the freedom and standard of living of all the rest of us. We have already held a minute’s silence in memory of the officer we lost today.”

He also pointed out that our overall behavior towards the officers of the armed forces must honor the level of their contribution and underlined that Greece is and remains strong and safe precisely because there are people, officers, who put their lives at risk so that the rest of us can live free.

He made a special reference to the political system of Greece, stressing that in our basic choices it has been at least serious, measured and with long intervals of strong acceptance. “We have overturned, and this must be credited mainly to the government, but also to the opposition, the model of division on foreign policy issues. We have managed to be serious, to agree and to radiate outwards, exactly that seriousness that allows any country that does business with us to have a sense of continuity. In the main choices, from almost the entire political system, there were positions of national responsibility. I consider it a national achievement that we managed with this government, with this prime minister, to overturn the model and face the threat with national mutual understanding, not to say with national unity. We do not claim it as an asset of the ND, but as an asset of the Greek people and Greek society,” he underlined.

Answering a question about whether there will be an issue with Turkey in the run-up to the elections, the foreign minister replied that he does not in any way consider that the neighboring country is aiming for a heated episode in the pre-election period. “But it exists and we must prevent the accidental. In other words, the tension that starts from something unforeseen” he underlined, citing as an example the collision of fishing boats or two. And beyond that, as he added, “it evolves within a year, when the leaders do not have time to put the episode under control and when it has become an element of the news and when journalists and public opinion have taken over, it is extremely difficult in in the pre-election climate to be controlled”. For Nikos Dendias, this is a very basic parameter that we must “keep in mind, as the two countries proceed for elections”.

In contrast to the tensions between Greece and Turkey in the past, the minister said that today “what is unprecedented and unique is that we have been living for 3.5 years an escalating crisis with Turkey, with ever-increasing tones, with unprecedented statements from Turkish side, which creates an extremely flammable climate”. In addition, he pointed out that no one expects a de-escalation before the Turkish elections and stated that Greece’s ambition is not to be led by a random incident to worse things with Turkey.

In fact, he estimated that everything will be decided immediately after the elections. “There will be a new Greek government with a fresh popular mandate and a new Turkish government. It will be a good opportunity, when in fact there will be recent political capital in both governments, to make a re-approach to reality and there to see the true colors of Turkey. If Turkey comes back to reason. We must hope that whoever steals the trust of the Turkish people will see clearly what the Turkish interest is. The interest of Turkish society is the rapprochement with the West, with Europe, with the framework of values ​​expressed by the EU,” he explained.

At the same time, he announced that Greece wishes to resolve the dispute with Turkey – but not beyond that – within the framework of International Law and the Law of the Sea. “We want Turkey to come to European rules,” he emphasized, however, he found that President Erdoğan, with a series of moves, is moving away from the European, Western acquis and is being led to a suis generis situation of a Middle Eastern, Muslim radical formation.

Asked to comment on President Erdoğan’s report on Hagia Sophia yesterday, the foreign minister again condemned its conversion into a mosque and expressed his sadness, pointing out that it will have adverse consequences for President Erdoğan’s reputation and expose him internationally.

Regarding the election period, when asked if we should be more careful in the intervening period, where there is a caretaker government, Nikos Dendias answered that of course there should be increased vigilance throughout this period. “Whoever claims that this period is a period as it would be in another European country, such as Luxembourg or Belgium, this is completely contrary to reality,” he added.

Asked if anyone would recommend him to remain in the position of foreign minister during this period (of the contested elections), he replied: “I deeply believe that no one is irreplaceable and I also deeply believe in the constitutional provisions. In other words, I believe that those which have been repeatedly observed and which give the image of a smooth process and a democratic perception must be observed.” If, in the hope that things escalate at the last minute, the entire political system – not only the ND and its leader, but also the other political forces – should propose to the prime minister that he remain in the ministry, “this is a another issue. But it’s not the logical order of things.”

He then referred to his visit to Israel tomorrow. He emphasized that Greece’s relationship with Israel is strategic and speaking about the agenda of the talks he will have with his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, he said that they will discuss bilateral issues, the security issues of the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as energy , the situation emerging after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Palestinian, the Middle East. In this context, he stated that he is proud because Greek diplomacy correctly read the architecture of the region early enough. “We read that the separation between Arabs and Israelis no longer applies, and what we had seen was confirmed by the Abraham Accords and Israel’s establishment of diplomatic relations with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries and the creation, now , understandings on many levels. This does not mean that Greece renounces its position for a Palestinian state. But this means that the architecture of the Middle East becomes more complex and also if one observes the position that Turkey has taken in favor of Hamas, it becomes a situation much more favorable for Greek interests,” he said.

Ahead of the visit of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to Greece on February 21, Nikos Dendias underlined that our relationship with the US is at an unprecedented level, referring to the two defense agreements that the two countries have signed and the “strategy of their relationship”. Giving a preview of the agenda of the meeting, he said that Anthony Blinken is coming to continue the strategic dialogue between the two countries, while the issues concerning our region, armaments, energy and economic cooperation will be discussed. In addition to these, issues arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine will also be discussed.

In fact, he noted that the fact that Blinken will be in Athens on the eve of the elections and that the strategic dialogue will take place normally, is an extremely important message. It sends a clear message of perception and trust – emphasized Mr. Dendias. “The US has understood the Greek position, that it has a solid basis, which simply asks to be applied in the Aegean what is valid throughout the planet and acts and formulates similar opinions” he added.

When asked if the presence of Anthony Blinken in Greece might also have a tendency to calm spirits, Nikos Dendias replied that the presence of the foreign minister of the superpower is sure to have a calming effect.

Referring to the broader cooperation with the Biden administration, he described it as excellent, noting that the American President knows the region very well and is a friend of Greece.

He also did not fail to highlight the contribution of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Whenever we needed him, he was always available to help. Not in the context of a friend doing a favor to the spoiled child, but of a man who has a clear sense of the need to preserve the Alliance, to enforce its principles and values, and to prevent an unreasonable ally from attempting desperate steps,” he said.

Furthermore, he pointed out the importance of expanding the country’s bilateral relations. “We have 311 agreements. The largest framework of bilateral agreements since the establishment of the new Greek state. No government before the Mitsotakis government has reached even half of the agreements signed by the Mitsotakis government. These agreements create a framework of economic, defense and political understandings,” he said.

Referring to his recent visit to Mozambique, he said that next month, this African country holds the presidency of the UN Security Council and wondered: “Can you ever be the foreign minister of Greece and not know the president of the Security Council of UN next month, when you have an election and your neighbor tells you that ‘I will come at night’? Or is it possible that we have never been elected to the presidency of the UN General Assembly and have only been elected once to the UN Security Council in history, with the security problems we have, and never to the Human Rights Council?’

Finally, referring to his program in the next period, he announced that he will tour South America, while on March 25 he will visit Australia. The last date on his schedule so far is April 9, the Foreign Minister clarified.

RES-EMP

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