“It is a tremendous audacity, the Government which for years has been pursuing a foreign policy based on attacking its opponents as a “national exception”, its patriotism and internal party balances, to point the finger at SYRIZA-PS for sensitivity to national issues, at the moment, in fact, when not only does it not condemn the dangerous statements of Syrigos regarding the Treaty of Lausanne, but it limits itself to incomprehensible excuses to cover them up” says SYRIZA in a statement commenting on the changes in the government structure.

“Mr. Syrigos not only did not rehash his statements about the Treaty of Lausanne which is “97% obsolete”, but he also emphasized that “to a certain extent it is also obsolete in terms of minorities”. All this from a Government that took advantage of the minority in the worst way before the elections”.

“The reproduction of these positions with the tolerance, in fact, of the Government creates serious risks and questions that cannot be covered by the sudden restructuring.

“Firstly, there is no one except Mr. Syrigos himself who considers it convincing that the claim that 97% of the Treaty is “obsolete” leaves no room for exploitation in Turkey to promote its unacceptable revision positions. If this debate is opened, it matters little whether Turkey seeks to revise the “97%” or the remaining “3%”.

“Secondly, the positions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are not limited either to the invocation of the right to legitimate defense based on Article 51 of the UN Charter, nor to the position that “what is threatened is not demilitarized”.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly emphasizes that:

“”As far as the Greek islands are concerned, nowhere in the Lausanne Peace Treaty is it stipulated that they will be under a demilitarized regime.” Never – and rightly so – has a post-colonial Greek government gone beyond this position, opening a debate on which provisions of the Treaty are or are not inactive and to what extent or how they are interpreted.

»Thirdly, the Director of the Prime Minister’s Press Office stated that the former Minister spoke as an “academic” and the government spokesman, that he spoke “in his scientific capacity”. A few minutes later Mr. Syrigos emphasized that “because I heard something about scientific positions” I note that my positions “are not scientific but deeply political”. Instead of playing with words and concepts, Mr. Mitsotakis must decide if he accepts or rejects the position of his former Minister” concludes SYRIZA.