By Yannis Anifantis

“There was absolutely no retreat on the part of the Greek side. We have the absolute predominance of the Greek attitude. And we did not have any retreat and there was no recognition of Turkish claims and the investigation was completed according to its planning”, said Giorgos Gerapetritis from the government seats of the Parliament, answering a topical question of the president of Niki about the events of Kasos.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, referring to the “national red lines”, emphasized that: “Greece maintains a strong and proud national stance. We are not going to abdicate our sovereignty and sovereign rights.”

“The country will remain firmly on our national line. I emphasize that from the point of view of diplomatic power, Greece is at the highest point. It has a strong position on the international stage, a strong position in terms of deterrent power and is on a strong economic trajectory.”the Minister underlined.

At the beginning of his rebuttal, Giorgos Gerapetritis referred to the Greek-Turkish dialogue, arguing that “neither I nor any other Minister of Foreign Affairs could ever be so naive as to believe that from one day to the next Turkey will abandon its fundamental positions. That we talk does not mean that we make any concession in relation to the rights that are not recognized by International Law. The issues that arise from time to time have to do with the fact that Greece has not demarcated its EEZ and continental shelf. Regardless of the neighbor’s preposterous claims, an agreement would mean the resolution of the underlying issue with Turkey and ensure peace with Turkey. This could be done if there is full respect for International Law. Greece is today in a position of power to discuss these issues”.