"All people fighting on the active fronts of the forest fires deserve our congratulations and our moral and material support for the superhuman effort they are making”, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis’ stated on SKAI TV's morning show "SIMERA" with journalist D. Oikonomou.
Asked about the Turkish stance in the current situation, the Alternate Minister stressed that "the fact that we do not have any incidents on the ground does not mean that we are sailing in calm waters or that we can resolve our problems smoothly". He added that "A prospering Turkey that maintains social and political stability is a better neighbour than a Turkey with a struggling economy that is shaken by political contingencies", "Whenever Turkey faces internal problems, it always exports them to Greece" he noted. He also stressed that on Greek-Turkish issues, it is important for all political parties to speak in one voice, as it helps us face this challenge and threat that is there and remains active.
Regarding Turkey's claims about minority schools, the Alternate Minister underscored that "no minority has been oppressed in Greece", on the contrary, Turkey is fully exposed as regards the minority policies it has pursued towards the Greek minority. He noted that the Muslim minority in Thrace has doubled in contrast to the Greek minority in Istanbul, which has shrunk to a few thousand members.
As for the Turkish stance on the Cyprus issue, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that "Turkey is trying to create a new framework of fait accomplis" and that the Turkish position for two states is rejected by the European Union, the United States, and Russia, and is far from finding any sympathetic ears on the international stage.
August 5, 2021