We want to discuss with Turkey, “under conditions that could be productive, without being ethereal”, underlined Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis in an interview with the Alpha television station.

“The most important thing is that the tensions and disagreements that exist do not produce crises, and in the last year we have achieved that,” he noted.

As he mentioned, there has been a clear improvement in the relations between the two countries, which in the past had “instances of extremely hostile rhetoric, there were attacks on the field, the risk of an accident, which could lead the country to a regime of even war”. .

“Today we have established a channel of communication that allows us to be able to discuss,” he said and added: “I am naturally a deliberative person. I cannot accept that we cannot have a rational discussion”.

“We all understand that it is a difficult situation, because there are historical burdens and disagreements of principle”, he pointed out and stressed that “we will not deviate from our basic positions, which are based on international law and have strong foundations in history”.

“We should obviously be ready for all scenarios and try for the best. And the best thing is not to always be with the hand on the trigger, but to live together in conditions of prosperity”, he said.

At the moment, he added, we are in a field of relative calm in the Aegean and our wider region, we have no violations at all, we have a positive agenda, a series of mutually beneficial agreements.

He mentioned that there has been no discussion on the delimitation of the continental shelf and EEZ so far.

“Our intention is that once the conditions are ripe, once we both arrive at a process framework where we can discuss these issues, to start the discussion.”

“We owe it to the current and future generations to leave a legacy of peace in our neighborhood,” he emphasized.

–There was complete transparency in the Tempe accident

Asked about the activation of article 86 par.5 of the Constitution, for the investigation of any responsibilities in the context of the criminal investigation of the accident in Tempi, requested by the former minister Christos Spirtzis, in his letter to the president of the Parliament, Mr. Gerapetritis he pointed out that “it is an inexpensive move”.

“This is not a preliminary investigation, nor a commission, which will lead to criminal prosecution,” he said. “This is a simple advisory committee, which will assess the situation. It does not study criminal liability, it simply assesses the facts. At the end of this advisory process, there is by definition no referral”.

He also reminded that for Mr. Spirtzis the deadline has already expired, while Mr. Karamanlis “has already testified to the investigative committee, he had a very clear position on things”.

“Mr. Karamanlis was evaluated for his actions in the context of the investigation committee. The same is not the case for Mr. Spirtzis, because his own liability was amortized.

The Parliament ruled on the issue of Mr. Karamanlis and ruled that he is not liable.”

As he mentioned, “the Greek Constitution, like most of the Western world, provides for a special criminal liability procedure for political figures, not to provide immunity, but to avoid any abuse for reasons of political expediency. We follow the basic European standards.”

“There was absolutely no cover-up,” underlined Mr. Gerapetritis. There was, as he pointed out, a full parliamentary process that took place immediately after the tragic accident, we have a judicial process that is ongoing and there was an administrative committee that was set up and evaluated the incident. Furthermore, on his own initiative, “there has been an investigation by the European Railways, the most impartial and independent organisation, which will have its conclusion very soon”.

“There was complete transparency,” he said, but added that “we all understand, or try to, the unspeakable pain of people for the death of their own.”

“In my view there is no other process that could be opened,” he noted.

“There are institutions, there is justice, which we must trust. There are the parliamentary procedures, which in an organized state have value”.

Asked finally about the delays in the 717 convention, he noted that over time “they were mainly due to external factors, while all extensions were made with the approval of the EU, they were not made by personal choice and with the responsibility of the politicians who were in this position”.