The Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, discussed Greek-Turkish relations and the issue of implementation of the Prespa Agreement during the interview he gave today to ‘Real FM’ radio and journalist Nikos Chatzinikolaou.
In regard to the meeting between Trump and Erdoğan, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that this does not affect Greek-US relations which “are at the highest and best level they have been in recent decades”, as he stated.
“It is a fact that Turkey has behaved as an international troublemaker in the region”, he stressed, adding that “when I raised the issue with my Turkish counterpart in Thessaloniki yesterday, his response was that ‘we are viewing things incorrectly’ and I responded that it is not our view that is wrοng, as this is not a Greek position, but an EU position”.
Mr Varvitsiotis underlined the fact that the EU has imposed sanctions on Turkey for its unlawful conduct in the Cypriot EEZ, which it has violated with illegal drilling. “Being Turkey’s neighbour is certainly not easy. We will continue to hold a firm position on our national issues and try to find ways to communicate on a number of issues that do not affect our sovereign rights but define our economic, trade and other relations, such as the issue of a coastal shipping link between Izmir and Thessaloniki”, he added.
As regards the issue of migration, Mr Varvitsiotis repeated that this is not a bilateral problem between Greece and Turkey but a European one, as the threats are not being issued to Greece but to Brussels and the EU today. “We have never heard President Erdoğan say ‘we will flood Greece’, but ‘I will flood Europe’, instead, which is a direct threat against the EU”, he stressed.
As regards the enlargement of the EU in the Western Balkans, Mr Varvitsiotis noted that the process has “Greece’s mark” on it and that the accession of all Balkan countries to the EU has been a goal of Greek foreign policy since 2003. The Summit of all Balkan countries that Greece intends to call within the year will also send a message on the importance of remaining on the path to accession.
As regards Greek-North Macedonian relations, Mr Varvitsiotis stressed that the Greek Prime Minister asked his counterpart during their one-on-one meeting in Thessaloniki yesterday for a clear position of support, at the very least regarding the implementation of the Prespa Agreement, although it has functional and substantive defects.
Finally, he characterised the new trademark for Macedonian products as a bold initiative to provide Greek products with a single identity and to curb any attempt by our neighbours to misappropriate the name of Macedonia.
November 15, 2019