“We are fully aware of the difficulties in our bilateral relations with Turkey,” says Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in an interview with the “Macedonia of Kyriaki” newspaper.

“We are carefully monitoring the developments, we hope for the maintenance of calm, we remain committed to our firm position for honest and constructive dialogue to resolve our dispute, within the framework of International Law and the International Law of the Sea,” he says.

“However, it must be equally clear that our national sovereignty is not amenable to the slightest questioning and is not the subject of discussion”, he notes and adds that the climate that has been formed should be protected and not sacrificed on the altar of pre-election needs and expediencies.

Asked about this, the Minister of Foreign Affairs states that we could be friends with Turkey, however, “a friendly relationship presupposes mutual respect and trust and is governed by a spirit of solidarity and understanding. I believe that we can develop a harmonious and mutually beneficial relationship of good neighborliness and interaction with Turkey. We have practically demonstrated our friendly disposition.”

Referring to Turkey’s support to Greece for the position of non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the period 2025-2026, he notes that it carries special symbolism, as “the Security Council is the custodian, the defender of the Charter of the United Nations and International Law, in which the our country gives maximum value”, while declaring optimism that Greece’s candidacy will be widely accepted and crowned with success.

Making one foreign policy account of the country in the last four years, points out that “Greece, during this period, grew up based on International Law and the Law of the Sea” and recalls the EEZ Delimitation Agreements with Italy and Egypt, as well as the agreement with Albania to refer the issue of EEZ delimitation to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

“It is the first time that the national territory has grown since 1947 with the increase of our territorial waters, in the area of ​​the Ionian Sea and up to Cape Tainaro from 6 to 12 nautical miles,” he notes characteristically.

He adds that Greece has forged strong strategic ties of friendship and cooperation not only with countries that are traditional partners and allies, but also with countries in the Middle East, South America, Africa and India, while the country’s geostrategic footprint has been strengthened with a huge number of bilateral agreements, such as the Strategic Partnership Agreement with France, the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement with the USA, the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership with the United Arab Emirates.

“Now Greek foreign policy plays an active role in developments in our wider region and participates in efforts to find solutions to issues that concern the international community,” he underlines.

He also mentions that on Friday, April 21, a meeting on Syria will be organized for the first time in Greece with the participation of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Petersen.

The candidacies of Greece for the Security Council (2025-2026) and for the Human Rights Council (2028-2030), for the Presidency of the General Assembly (2035) and organization of the “Our Ocean 2024” Conference reflect Greece’s active and constructive contribution to global developments, he says.

“The summer of 2020 was a very difficult period for the country and for me personally. What is important is not to experience such difficult moments again”, he says.

As the Minister of Foreign Affairs recalls, his tenure “was marked by key events, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which are reshaping the global system and, by extension, our immediate neighborhood, and require both vigilance and new, energetic planning from the point of view of us”.

“And in Greek-Turkish relations we went through many tests. We have achieved many of our foreign policy goals, we can achieve more. In short, I would say that our government has been justified in all the major national choices it has made and has always been on the right side of history. I also emphasize that we have managed to leave the foreign policy issues outside the “toxicity” internal policy”, he emphasizes.

Referring to the relations between Greece and Cyprus underlines that “the Cyprus problem constitutes a top national goal, for the achievement of which Greece is seeking a fair and sustainable solution, on the basis of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, based on the Resolutions of the United Nations Security Council”.

“I am absolutely convinced that the looming climate that has developed in Greek-Turkish relations – and which we hope will continue even after the elections in Turkey – can only contribute positively to the efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue and, in general, to peace and security in the wider area”, he emphasizes.

With reference to the recent tripartite Greece – Cyprus – Israel, notes that the scheme in question aims to consolidate a regional security framework, primarily through synergies in areas such as energy, innovation and digital technology. The issue of the “EastMed” natural gas pipeline and the “EuroAsia Interconnector” pipeline, the geostrategic importance of which has particularly emerged after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, were discussed at length, he notes.

He also notes that the “Eastern Mediterranean Natural Gas Forum” is “an example of how energy can be a springboard for a peaceful partnership in the Southern Mediterranean region and the wider Middle East”.

“In the future, we look forward to the admission of new members such as Turkey, under the unconditional condition of respecting International Law and the International Law of the Sea”, he notes and emphasizes that “Greece aims to become an energy hub in the field of natural gas and electricity supply ».

The government’s strategic choice is still to open up and strengthen relations with African countries, a geographical area where for decades our presence has been from non-existent to anemic.

Asked about the electionsstates that “the main stake is to continue the smooth course of the country and not to return to the conditions of instability and uncertainty of the period of the Memoranda”.

“In an extremely complex juncture in the international environment, experimentation is not allowed which, as proved by the period I mentioned above, worsened the situation instead of improving it, despite the well-known false promises of SYRIZA, which were never implemented. The country today needs stability and a self-reliant government of the New Democracy”.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs points out that “the accident of the TembosIt shocked us all” and “the government has already announced a series of measures so that the country can finally have a modern railway. Now, we also owe this to the memory of the victims.”

“The big bet for the New Democracy is to have a real all-army in view of the May 21 elections, on which the result of the second electoral contest, with a system of enhanced proportionality, will depend to a significant extent,” he emphasizes.

“Without arrogance, with humility and empathy, but making it clear that the country must remain on a path of stability and normality, the New Democracy must claim its re-election as an independent government, having to demonstrate important work in a number of areas”, he concludes.