Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis was asked today to comment on statements by Erdogan, who again raised the issue of demilitarization of the Greek islands, in an interview with Alpha Radio 989 and journalist Philippos Philippakopoulos.
Specifically, Mr. Varvitsiotis stated that these statements are not only provocative, but also, they are historically inaccurate and defy every notion of common sense. As he explained, Greece is essentially arming itself, not to attack, but to prevent Turkish aggression. "We are not arming ourselves to attack Turkey, but to defend ourselves against Turkey", the Alternate Minister stated. Regarding the Turkish allegations about the demilitarization of the Greek islands, Mr. Varvitsiotis underlined that the best thing for Turkey to do is to abolish its landing fleet and refrain from provoking Greece on a daily basis.
Regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that both Greece and Europe are committed to a peaceful settlement and diplomatic solution of this dispute, while he pointed out that no one will gain from any military conflict in Ukraine. "Unfortunately, Europe did not seem to be represented at the negotiating table, despite the very active participation of France and Germany”, the Alternate Minister added.
January 16, 2022