For “an unprecedented increase in intensity and provocative behavior on her part Turkey“, said o Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandros Papaioannou in the regular briefing of diplomatic authors.
As he pointed out, within one day, last Wednesday we had 168 airspace violations and 42 overflights. There were overflights of Greek territory and residential areas on several islands in the eastern Aegean (Rhodes, Kos, Kalymnos, etc.)
“The numbers speak for themselves,” he said this is a recordas the previous largest number of overflights Turkish aircraft over Greek territory had taken place in 2020, when there was an escalation of Turkish delinquent behavior, and it was 23, about half.
“At this critical and difficult time for Europe and NATO, Turkey’s behavior violates fundamental rules of international law, but also affects the cohesion of NATO,” Papaioannou said.
He noted that this attitude comes in handy in contrast to the good neighborhood climate that Greece is trying to create and stated that Greece is “always in favor of good relations with Turkey, on the basis of international law.”
“Here we are talking about a clear violation of Greek sovereignty, which can not go unanswered, and that is why two consecutive steps were taken within two days by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Turkish ambassador,” he said.
He also said that the Foreign Minister had several contacts with ambassadors in Athens and underlined this situation, while at the same time briefings were made to the UN, the EU and NATO and the dissatisfaction of Athens was transferred.
He pointed out that the goal is to reduce the tension and that was the message conveyed to partners and allies. He stressed that Turkey’s behavior is “condemnable and unacceptable”, especially when it comes to a time when all the attention of the international community is focused on Ukraine.
He noted that the issue of its increase tension on the part of Turkey It is self-evident that he will be present during the Prime Minister’s trip to Washington and in the contacts he will have there on May 16 and 17.
Asked about the next one package of sanctions against Russia which is being decided by the EU today, Mr. Papaioannou noted that Greece is harmonizing and implementing all the sanctions that are co-decided within the EU.
“It would be a good thing if other countries that want to have a European perspective were in line with EU decisions,” he said.
Mr. Papaioannou even referred to his trip to Israel from May 1st to May 3rd, in the framework of the cooperation of the two ministries. As he mentioned, he went there with both his roles, as the representative of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also as the coordinator for the reform of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He had intensive contacts with officials at the Israeli Foreign Ministry on issues of public diplomacy, as Israel has a very important course in this field, but also in the use of new technologies for this purpose.
Foreign Minister N. Dendias in Madrid tomorrow
Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will be in Madrid tomorrow, at the invitation of his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Alvarez, as Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexandros Papaioannou announced in a regular briefing to diplomatic correspondents.
The main issue to be discussed at the third bilateral meeting between the Greek and Spanish Foreign Ministers is the developments in Ukraine, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the developments in the Western Mediterranean region, Africa, etc. During his visit, the Mr. Dendias will also meet with the chairman of the parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and the speaker of the Spanish parliament.
Today, Mr. Dendias is meeting with the Ambassador of Iran and then he will talk with the Cypriot Foreign Minister I. Kasoulidis, while later he will talk with his counterpart from Moldova.
On Monday, May 9, Kenyan Foreign Minister Rachel Omamo will be in Athens. As Mr. Papaioannou reminded, Kenya is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
In the afternoon of the same day, Mr. Dendias will have a teleconference with the Foreign Ministers of Cyprus, Israel and the USA, in the framework of the 3 + 1 cooperation. Political developments in the Eastern Mediterranean region and the expansion of co-operation in various fields, including energy, will be discussed.
As Mr. Papaioannou pointed out, it was not possible for the plans of the four ministers to coincide for a private meeting and that is why this solution was preferred. The important thing, however, as he stressed, is that this teleconference is taking place and is considered a very important step.
The Foreign Affairs Committee meets in Parliament on May 10 to discuss the text of the Greece-US defense agreement (MDCA).
On the same day, the Secretary of State will meet with new and outgoing ambassadors, including new US Secretary of State George W. Bush.
On May 11, Mr. Dendias will travel to Marrakesh to participate in the work of the ministerial meeting for the fight against ISIS, while he will also hold bilateral contacts with his counterparts.
On May 12, he will participate in the debate that will take place in the plenary session of the Parliament for the ratification of MDCA.
On May 13, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister will visit Athens in the framework of cooperation with the Gulf countries.
On May 16 and 17, Mr. Dendias will accompany the Prime Minister on his trip to Washington.
Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis on May 8 will participate in an event, a discussion with young people in Zappeion on the occasion of Europe Day and the proclamation of 2022 as the European Year of Youth. The event is part of the conference on the future of Europe.
On May 12, he will participate in the tripartite meeting of Greece-Bulgaria-Romania in Athens. The meeting will be attended by Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Vassil Georgiev and Romanian Deputy Foreign Minister Daniela Grigore Gitman.
The agenda will include the situation in Ukraine, the energy crisis and plans to diversify energy sources, EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and the refugee crisis.
On Thursday, May 19, he will travel to Turin, Italy, to attend a ministerial meeting of the Council of Europe member states.
Undersecretary of State Costas Frangogiannis will accompany the Prime Minister on May 8th and 9th on his trip to the United Arab Emirates.
On May 12, he will visit Berlin for the 5th round of inter-ministerial consultations within the framework of the Greek-German action plan.
On May 12-14, he will visit Stockholm, where he will meet with Foreign Minister Ana Halberg, inaugurate the local branch of the Greek-Swedish Chamber and meet with businessmen.
Finally, on May 16 and 18, he will accompany the Prime Minister to Washington.
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