By Yannis Anifantis

Resounding message in all directions that sovereignty issues they do not enter the Greek-Turkish dialogue, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Gerapetritis sent from the Parliament.

Answering a topical question and a few days before the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to Athens, the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs pointed out that Greece the passing of the contract of the UN on the law of the sea pointed out its unilateral right to expand its territorial waters in the context of the exercise of sovereignty. “This is an issue concerning Greek sovereignty and these issues will not be included in any dialogue about Greek-Turkish. Our sovereignty concerns only Greecehe said.

“The expansion of territorial waters will be done in the prescribed manner in the context of exercising national sovereignty. And there is no secrecy there. Dialogue is a necessary element of diplomacy. It is obvious that we are not going to agree on everything with Turkey. We have a different starting point. Any discussion on the establishment of an EEZ will only take place on the full condition that it be done in full respect of international law and that this is our one and only difference“, underlined Mr. Gerapetritis, adding that there is no discrepancy between the executives of the governing majority and the members of the government on national issues.

In his rebuttal, Mr. Gerapetritis reminded that the borders of the country were determined in 1947. Since then, the expansion of the Greek territory for the first time was carried out by the government of the New Democracy in 2021 with the extension to Tainaro. “It was the N.D. government that raised Greece. And he grows her every day by increasing her diplomatic capital. We have absolutely no phobic syndrome. The government is not afraid. And I would like the Parliament to not have any phobia syndrome either“, he emphasized.