At today’s meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, which took place via videoconference, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias briefed his colleagues in detail on Turkey’s ongoing illegal and provocative actions. Specifically, he highlighted that the European Council meeting of 1-2 October decided to launch a “positive dialogue” with Turkey, on the clear condition that Turkey would undertake “constructive efforts to stop illegal activities vis-à-vis Greece and Cyprus.”
The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs underscored in this context that Turkey did exactly the opposite, escalating its illegal actions in a region overlapping the Greek continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean and essentially ignoring the European Union’s proposal for a prospect of improving its relations with the EU and its member states.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also mentioned the Turkish President’s recent visit to Varosha, stressing that the enclosed city “is not a place for picnics” and that this action is an affront to all Cypriots, Greek and Turkish alike. In this regard, he reiterated Greece’s unequivocal condemnation of this action, which openly violates the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
He concluded by underscoring that unfortunately due to Turkey’s actions there does not appear to be room for “positive dialogue with Turkey” and that the European Union should prepare for immediate adoption of appropriate measures that will force Turkey to respect international law.
He expressed his solidarity with France and Austria following the recent terrorist attacks, stressing that the European values are not negotiable.
Finally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his concern over the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, due to the presence of foreign fighters in the wider region, as well as his concern over the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia.
November 19, 2020