“The message sent by all of the European capitals was that any deterioration in Greek-Turkish relations, through Turkish violations of Greece’s sovereign rights, will have repercussions for Turkey in her relations with Europe,” stressed the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, in his interview on SKAI TV’s ‘Newsroom’, with journalists Apostolos Mangiriadis and Antonis Antzoletos.
“The fact that a move was made doesn’t mean all the problems have been solved. There is no room for complacency,” Mr. Varvitsiotis added, highlighting that Greece has only ever recognized one dispute with Turkey: the continental shelf.
Regarding the issue of Hagia Sophia’s conversion into a mosque, he noted that the initial reactions on the European level were very tepid. But the images from Istanbul on the day of the first prayers prompted a flood of reactions, sending the message that this was a step backward for Turkey, away from democratic values and the European acquis, and towards an Islamist path.
July 29, 2020