“No one has the right to have illusions about Greece’s will to defend its sovereignty and sovereign rights,” said Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in an interview with the newspaper Kefalaio and Capital.gr.
As Mr. Dendias characteristically emphasizes, “there is indeed an escalation of the rhetoric of the Turkish government, which no longer even at the verbal level even keeps the pretexts and questions the acquis of decades, with outrageous objections, beyond any sense of logic and of course international legitimacy.” .
And he underlines that it is absolutely clear that Greece does not leave unanswered any challenge. Likewise, the Foreign Minister makes it clear again that Greece wants a constructive dialogue and the promotion of a “positive agenda”, but always on the basis of International Law and especially the International Law of the Sea.
Asked about the issue of militarization of the islands raised by Turkey, Mr. Dendias stressed: “For the Greek government, things are absolutely clear: our country has an absolute right to self-defense. This is provided for in the UN Charter. “This situation became even more urgent after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and, consequently, the defensive shielding of the islands is an absolute and legal right of the country.”
He reminded that Greece has rejected Turkey’s unilateral accusations, through a letter from the Greek Permanent Representative to the UN to the Secretary General of the Organization Antonio Guterres, describing them as “completely unfounded, unsupported, legally and historically incorrect.”
He also notes that “Greece is working tirelessly to create new forms of cooperation and is emerging as a regional pole of stability, at a time when Turkey, despite our contrary desire, is acting as a destabilizing factor.”
Furthermore, Nikos Dendias refers to the energy sector and points out that today Greece has emerged as a strong transit hub and plays an important role in energy planning in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as in US strategic planning.
Special mention is made of the electrical interconnection between Greece – Egypt. As stated, this Agreement, which concerns the first interconnection of Europe with Africa in the region of the Southeastern Mediterranean, implements in practice the Agreement on the delimitation of maritime zones with Egypt, while at the same time consolidating the significant geopolitical and energy position of our country in the wider region.
Regarding the cooperation with the USA, the Minister of Foreign Affairs characterizes the cooperation within the framework of the 3 + 1 initiative (Greece, Cyprus, Israel and the USA) as good and underlines the American support for the establishment of a floating gas liquefaction terminal in Alexandroupolis. the creation of interconnection pipelines with the countries on our northern borders, as well as the “Euro-Asia Interconnector” which provides the electrical connection of Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
Regarding the East Med pipeline, he clarifies that “the issue is not geopolitical, but purely economic viability and environmental perception”.
Referring to the escalation of Russia-Ukraine relations, the Foreign Minister noted that “there is a risk of ignition in Europe” and notes that despite the talks, things are at a critical juncture.
“The whole scenario can bring chain reactions and shake the wider security framework in the region, at a time when, in fact, we are facing all countries, the spectrum of the energy crisis, but also the economic consequences of the health crisis of more than two years. “, Mentions and adds:
“The situation must be de-escalated immediately, always taking into account the need to respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with the fundamental principles of international law.”
At the same time, however, he emphasizes that “Russia is an integral part of the European security architecture” and that is why Greece has stressed that the channels of communication must remain open.
He clarified that Greece, as a member of the EU and NATO, always operates within the framework of the given principles and values, “however, it maintains timeless and multilevel historical and cultural ties with Russia”.
Afterwards, Nikos Dendias focuses on the importance of economic diplomacy, emphasizing that it has become a key priority of our foreign policy. In particular, he points out that “significant work has already been achieved by attracting emblematic investments in sectors such as the ‘green’ economy, energy and technological innovation”.
Finally, the Foreign Minister talks about a strategic choice in the opening of our country’s foreign policy in sub-Saharan Africa.
Following his recent visits to Rwanda, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Angola, he announces that in a few weeks he will travel to Senegal to inaugurate our Embassy there, as well as to the Gambia and Cape Verde, which he has never visited. former Greek Foreign Minister.
These visits are part of the expansion of our country’s international contacts, taking into account our candidacy for a non-permanent position in the UN Security Council for the period 2025-26.
“We plan to increase our footprint and influence, based on the strong presence of the Greek community with historical communities but also the fact that Greece does not have a colonial past. At the same time, as an EU member state, we can act as a bridge with Europe and contribute to the strengthening of EU-Africa relations “, he concludes.
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