Regarding the Greek-Turkish dialogue and Greece’s relationship with the international community, Mr. Prokopis Pavlopoulos, former President of the Republic (2015-2020), speaking at the conference “Transformation 1974-2024: 50 Years of Greek Foreign Policy”, which takes place on December 12 and 13. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Angelos Kovaios, Political Editor at “BIMA”.

In relation to the Greek-Turkish dialogue, the former President of the Republic emphasized that we must discuss, defending our positions in order to prove to the international community who the real Turkey is, noting that there are difficulties in understanding with the neighboring country, since it does not consider the international binding law.

Mr. Pavlopoulos analyzed them three goals of Ankara: a kind of sovereignty over the whole of Cyprus, co-sovereignty in the Aegean (a kind of division based on the 25th meridian) and the creation of autonomy conditions in Greek Thrace (that is where the concept of the “Turkish minority” is intended).

In response to a question from Mr. Kovaiou, if Greece could extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles south of Cretethe former President replied that we should have already done so in direct response to the Turkish-Libyan memorandum. “A process that doesn’t take more than a month,” he noted.

Mr. Pavlopoulos admitted that over the years there have been unintentional failures in our foreign policy, citing as an example the phraseology used in 1997 on the sidelines of a NATO meeting. However, he emphasized that there are no more or less patriots. “What we lack is continuity in our policy. We often put foreign policy in the Procrustes bed of political differences, but foreign policy cannot become the object of political exploitation”, he commented.

Regarding our own claims, he stated that we are claiming the maximum due to us and described Ankara’s “weaknesses”, saying that it signs agreements it does not implement (Lausanne treaty), draws up non-existent agreements (Turk-Libyan memorandum) and does not accede to treaties of global scope (convention on the law of the sea), stressing that its policy is full of contradictions.

He also characterized our foreign policy as autonomous, noting that the nature of its autonomy ideally covers the Cyprus issue. “Greek foreign policy, especially after 1974, is based throughout time on the Doctrine of Konstantinos Karamanlis, ‘We Belong to the West,'” explained Mr. Pavlopoulos, stressing that Greece is not asking anything from anyone, beyond the application of international law. “Since the day of the invasion, we have been experiencing the barbaric occupation of 1/3 of the territory by the Turkey without the slightest reaction“, he underlined. In fact, he cited Erdogan’s Blue Homeland ideology as an example to avoid, noting that we are not swayed by them.

Finally, regarding the developments in Syria, he said that if new states are created and the borders change, then we will face a change in dealing with international conditions, as with the neighboring country, this may pose risks for the future.