JOURNALIST: Minister, thank you for coming. Did you manage to sleep at all last night in light of the latest developments?
G. GERAPETRITIS: We had yet another sleepless night and, unfortunately, not for a good reason. At dawn, as you know, there was an Israeli attack on Iran. The entire apparatus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - the Crisis Management Unit - had to be promptly activated, so that we could address the most pressing issue, namely the safety of Greek citizens in Israel, Iran and the wider region.
JOURNALIST: What is our understanding of this attack? Israel continues its offensive. We are still waiting for Iran's response.
G. GERAPETRITIS: It was a significant escalation, especially in the midst of negotiations between Iran and the United States. The reality is that Iran's nuclear program is a potential destabilizing factor for the region. On the other hand, restraint has to be exercised now, in order to prevent further escalation. Of course, as you understand, we do expect retaliation from Iran. And Greece, as an elected member of the UN Security Council, will contribute to efforts aiming at de-escalation. I have already started communicating with our allies in the wider region, who are also on high alert. We need a broad alliance in order to prevent further escalation. At this moment, however, there is considerable concern about developments in the region, since it constitutes a potential “minefield”. And it would be helpful if we could all work together, multilaterally, through international organizations, and if the countries that exert significant influence could limit the negative consequences.
JOURNALIST: Is there a risk of an involvement of the United States?
G. GERAPETRITIS: There has been an explicit statement by the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, that there is no involvement of the United States, nor will there be any. We stick to this statement. The reality is that the United States is making a significant effort to bring the situation in the wider region under control, particularly with regard to countries that are, admittedly, destabilizing factors, such as Iran. I believe that the United States should play an active role, but for the time being there does not appear to be any direct involvement.
JOURNALIST: It appears impossible to restrain Mr. Netanyahu at any level. We have the impression that Mr. Trump didn’t really want this attack to happen. Is this feeling right?
G. GERAPETRITIS: The geopolitical situation is very complex. I think that over the last 20 months, I would say, we have been experiencing the most difficult and volatile period since World War II. This is because there are numerous flashpoints around the world. And, namely, flashpoints of the kind that have always created conditions for major conflicts throughout history.
At the moment, there is this situation in Israel, which we are all witnessing, and the reality in Gaza. My impression is that the United States are trying to defuse the conflicts. I have had two meetings with Marco Rubio in recent months, and we discussed these issues. I feel that, at the moment, there is a tendency to ignore the risks posed to the global security architecture. We are going through a major upheaval in the security architecture established in the aftermath of World War II, with even the major international organizations, international multilateralism and the United Nations being called into question. Unfortunately, these are not positive signs, and we must all intensify our efforts. Greece's role is extremely important in this regard. Yesterday, we had a voting procedure at the UN General Assembly on a Resolution on Gaza, calling for an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages and the lifting of the blockade so that humanitarian aid can be provided to alleviate a situation that has escalated into a major humanitarian crisis.
JOURNALIST: So, we are not 100-0 in favor of Israel.
G. GERAPETRITIS: I don't think anyone accused us of being 100-0 in favor of Israel.
JOURNALIST: The opposition did.
G. GERAPETRITIS: When it comes to issues of geopolitical and national importance, restraint should always be exercised. Greece has maintained a principled stance on every issue currently plaguing the world, especially the issue of Gaza. We have voted in favor of all UN Resolutions. Greece itself was the driving force behind the most extensive and significant Joint Stakeout ever made on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, particularly in Gaza, with 80 countries essentially co-sponsoring the Greek Resolution. Yesterday, we took a stand. We stood on the side of peace, of the peaceful resolution of disputes. It is absolutely essential, at this moment in time, to have as much unhindered humanitarian aid as possible. Unfortunately, we are witnessing unprecedented incidents, such as attacks on humanitarian missions. This has unfortunately escalated. The protection of humanitarian aid workers and journalists must be absolute.
JOURNALIST: Has Greece contacted Netanyahu? As allies with Israel, and since Mr. Mitsotakis has a good relationship with Mr. Netanyahu, is further contact expected regarding recent events in Gaza and yesterday's developments?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Greece, as you know, is a strategic partner of Israel, but it also has excellent relations with all the Arab countries in the region. I myself have traveled to the region on several occasions. I have been to the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority, in Ramallah, twice. I have regular communication with the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority. We are among the first to advocate for assistance to be provided to the Palestinian Authority. And of course, we are the ones who will speak the absolute truth. And we say this with courage, because friends and allies must tell the truth. And the truth is that, at this moment, the situation has gotten out of hand. We understand the need to defend oneself against a threat. We understand the need for Israel to coexist harmoniously and enjoy security guarantees in an extremely difficult region. On the other hand, this cannot legitimize any kind of reaction.
JOURNALIST: Indeed. Let us talk now about the issue of marine parks. The Prime Minister just announced it. You have been criticized that, even regarding the issue of the marine parks, we are trying not to annoy Türkiye. That is, we are choosing the Ionian Sea and the Southern Cyclades. Is that true?
G. GERAPETRITIS: I repeat that, unfortunately, the political confrontation has led the discussion on issues of national importance to a very low level. We find ourselves discussing and dwelling on issues that are objective and well-established. Allow me to say that this discussion is hypocritical. Really, why hadn’t all those accusing us today established marine parks themselves? Why hadn’t they proceeded with the Maritime Spatial Planning? Why weren’t they able to convince companies, such as Chevron and Exxon, of our sovereign rights? We demonstrate that we defend our sovereignty and our sovereign rights in practice and not just with empty rhetoric. Let me briefly refer to the marine parks. Last year, at a very large international event on the protection of the oceans, hosted by Greece, the Prime Minister announced two marine parks. One marine park in the Ionian Sea and one in the Aegean Sea, covering an area of 8.000 square kilometers. This is exactly what is happening today. That is, we have designated an area that is over 8.000 square km, exactly as we had announced. This area was designated based purely on environmental criteria. There was no geopolitical criterion. Moreover, I should stress that this constitutes just the first action concerning the Aegean. Other actions will follow. It could not be done in any other way. The Aegean Sea is not a single environmental unit.
JOURNALIST: Are we going to expand further south to the Aegean Sea?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Of course, there will be further delimitation of marine parks in the future. We prioritized the most vulnerable ecosystems. And there was no geopolitical reason behind that choice – we are not afraid of anything or anyone. And the most vulnerable ecosystem is the one in the Southern Cyclades, since it has the largest number of small and vulnerable islands.
JOURNALIST: So we were not obstructed by Türkiye?
G. GERAPETRITIS: There is no way this is going to happen. In any case, you know, we expect Türkiye's reactions. But this is non-negotiable for us. It concerns environmental protection and the protection of our own rights that are recognized by International Law.
JOURNALIST: Erdogan says “we put everything on hold, in essence, since we are in a process of discussion, calm waters, etc., we are not permitting the operation of survey vessels.” Even in the case of the marine parks he says “do not proceed because I consider all these actions a bit provocative”, etc. Is everything “put on hold” because of this process?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Have you seen the Maritime Spatial Planning map?
JOURNALIST: I think I've seen it.
G. GERAPETRITIS: Greece will never be defined by third parties, at least under the current government. We are in favor of peace and we always seek channels of communication. We favor peaceful co-existence between the two peoples and that is the reason we started discussing with Türkiye, so that we can prevent crises. This is our goal. We obviously respect the opinions that are being expressed. However, we recognize that Greece has rights based on International Law. Besides, Greece is a party to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and therefore, I can assure you, there is no chance that Greece’s actions are determined by the reaction of any third party or Türkiye, for that matter.
JOURNALIST: Yet, that is what some people, like Mr. Samaras for instance, have stated on several occasions. Mr. Valinakis, a former Deputy Foreign Minister, echoed this opinion, using a rather strong language. In other words, some people are accusing you of appeasement.
G. GERAPETRITIS: Unfortunately, there is this type of political opportunism. We see it prevailing in issues of national importance, since they stir people’s emotions. For this reason, I consider it particularly dangerous. I will come back to this. Anyone who has assumed public office is accountable to history and so am I. However, I will be able to rely on facts that are objective and indisputable. We used to have hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants crossing the Aegean from Türkiye, while today there is none. On the contrary, the situation has been reversed in favor of a flow of friendly tourists that boost our local economies. From 7.000 national airspace violations, we have dropped to almost zero. Whereas there used to be no map defining our sovereign rights, today we have Maritime Spatial Planning, we have marine parks, we have large corporations on our continental shelf and potential Exclusive Economic Zone. So, everyone is conversing with history, but one should do so based on objective data.
JOURNALIST: I want to ask you about the criticism voiced by Mr. Samaras and Mr. Valinakis. Do you feel that you are being attacked, because you don't originate from the New Democracy party?
G. GERAPETRITIS: I would not like to believe that. What I really believe is that people who are called upon to serve their country selflessly should not receive any special or preferential treatment. By personal conviction and attitude, I have chosen to keep a low profile, not to provoke, not to seek publicity. I am not interested - and I say that emphatically - in being popular. I am only interested in being of use to my country. Serving as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece is both a great honor and duty. In my current capacity, I will serve with a strong sense of duty. I will never sacrifice my conscience to be popular.
JOURNALIST: Will Mr. Mitsotakis meet with Mr. Erdogan in July?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Both leaders will attend the NATO Summit in the Hague. It is possible that a brief meeting will take place. Nothing is planned yet. It is still too early. The High-Level Cooperation Council will take place when both leaders deem it appropriate. As you know, today, we have the Positive Agenda meetings taking place in Ankara, between the two responsible Deputy Ministers. Yesterday, we had the meeting on the Political Dialogue. What is particularly important is that, for the first time, Greece and Türkiye are discussing within the framework of a structured dialogue. This is why it produces beneficial results. If you are asking me whether major issues, which date back decades, are close to be resolved, the answer is no. However, it is important that, despite our well-known differences, we are able to engage in sincere dialogue. What we did not expect to happen - we are not so naive - was that, overnight, in less than two years since this structured dialogue was initiated, we would resolve issues that date back decades, such as the delimitation of maritime zones. However, acknowledging these differences, we can engage in dialogue, as two neighboring states should do, in order to avoid tensions. I apologize for taking up your time, but I would like to add something. We are living in the era of the unexpected. Nobody knows what tomorrow may bring. Yesterday we had a situation of relative calmness in the wider Middle East, and today the situation has changed dramatically.
JOURNALIST: Iran, I am now being informed, has just attacked Israel with drones.
G. GERAPETRITIS: This is something we are expecting in the coming hours. Our Embassies in the wider region have been given very specific instructions. We are currently registering all Greeks in Israel. There are approximately 4.500 Greeks, people of Greek origin, and their family members in Israel. Contact numbers have been provided so that there is direct communication with our Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Consulate in Jerusalem. We have also registered the Greeks who live in Tehran, they are estimated to be around 50-70 people. If necessary, there will be an evacuation plan. It is already in place and it will be activated if necessary.
JOURNALIST: For all those who want to leave.
G. GERAPETRITIS: For all those who want to leave.
JOURNALIST: Let’s move on to the Turkish-Libyan memorandum. Based on reports claiming Field Marshal Haftar is engaging in talks with Türkiye, do you think that we were wrong to side with him in the civil war? Or did we neglect our relationship with him in the years that followed, with the result that Türkiye gained ground and allied with him?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Geopolitical phenomena are far more complex. The reality is that Libya is currently under enormous pressure. It is, essentially, a divided state. There is the government in western Libya and the administration in eastern Libya. We practically have a national division. There are ongoing armed conflicts within the country. The economy is very weak. We are before a very complex environment. If you ask me, Greece should engage with both sides. It should have a balanced approach. From the moment I took office, I requested that our Embassy in Tripoli and our Consulate in Benghazi be activated so that we could obtain information and gain insight.
JOURNALIST: Weren’t they already?
G. GERAPETRITIS They were activated. There was a period of inactivity due to the armed conflict in the region. We made sure that the channels were activated, and there is now a satisfactory level of cooperation. Concerning Türkiye’s infiltration in Libya, that has always been the case. That is what led to the signing of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum in 2019 and its subsequent submission to the United Nations in 2020.
JOURNALIST: That was not the case with Haftar...
G. GERAPETRITIS: What is crucial at this moment is to keep emphasizing that the Turkish-Libyan memorandum is null and void. It is null and void, not only because it has been voted and activated by non-legitimate bodies, but also because it constitutes a clear violation of the Law of the Sea, since Türkiye and Libya do not have opposite coasts and, therefore, cannot conclude any delimitation agreement. The same applies to eastern Libya. We are currently working with Egypt on this issue. In eastern Libya, the House of Representatives has decided to set up a committee not exclusively on the Turkish-Libyan memorandum but on delimitations in general. Greece remains open to a delimitation agreement with Libya. I will personally visit Libya in the very near future. I am going to visit both sides. The visit is already being organized in order to yield positive results. We are aware that transactional relations in diplomatic matters are always important.
JOURNALIST: Did we reject many of their requests? I have read various reports that there were requests on the part of Libya and Mr. Haftar that were not met.
G. GERAPETRITIS: This is not the case. What is certain is that this is an extremely volatile situation. In my opinion, it is best not to exclusively rely on one side, but to maintain as many channels as possible. Diplomatic diversification helps us maintain a balanced stance. This applies not only to Libya, but also to the Middle East. At this point in time, one cannot afford to over-rely on one side. I think this was proven in the most striking way in the case of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Europe, including Greece, had been over-relying on Russian energy, which led to the complete collapse of the country's energy mix. We managed to diversify in a very short time, and today we can boast that we have achieved energy independence, which was never the case before. We have an energy mix in which renewable energy sources play a primary role, which, by definition, creates conditions for self-sufficiency and allows us to diplomatically negotiate on better terms.
JOURNALIST: Let's move on to Egypt, to the case of the Monastery on Mount Sinai. Have we lost that fight? Because the criticism you faced was that the Greek government lost a fight on the Monastery and ownership has now been transferred to Egypt.
G. GERAPETRITIS: One has to know the facts before expressing an opinion on foreign policy issues. Unfortunately, in the case of Sinai, many invoked issues that did not correspond to reality. Many issued statements without previously examining the court decision, because it was made available at a later stage. The Monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai has been there for fifteen centuries. It is a true bastion of Orthodoxy, the oldest functioning monastery. Greece intends to stand by the Monastery under any circumstances. The issue of ownership concerns not only the purely religious sites but also the surrounding areas, i.e. the non-religious sites, namely farms, facilities, etc.
JOURNALIST: Because they are vital for sustaining the Monastery.
G. GERAPETRITIS: Because they have been used by the monks. Ownership has been disputed for a long time. The ownership dispute was initiated by the local government of Sinai. The government of Sinai won at first instance, meaning we lost the first trial. An appeal was then filed. In the meantime, there was an attempt for an extrajudicial settlement. By virtue of an extrajudicial settlement, the parties would have waived their right to litigation, so that no court decision would be issued and the status quo would remain as it was. All discussions were primarily based on this premise. Such an extrajudicial settlement would not transfer ownership to the Monastery. This would require many more legal steps. Eventually a court decision was issued, which, to simplify complex legal matters, covers two aspects. The first is that it recognizes the perpetual religious and Greek Orthodox character of the Monastery.
JOURNALIST: Was that also called into question?
G. GERAPETRITIS: It was never questioned in practice, but there was never any regulatory record of the Monastery's status.You know, even though the Monastery has a history of fifteen centuries, it did not enjoy any special status. It was regarded as a common antiquity, like any other antiquity in Egypt, which, according to Egyptian archaeological law are state-owned. Moreover, the court also ruled that the ownership of the surrounding land belongs to the Egyptian state and not to the Monastery, while it also did not grant the ownership of the places of worship. That part of the decision was more ambiguous with regard to the places of worship. So, that is where we are now.
JOURNALIST: Can the court decision be overturned?
G. GERAPETRITIS: I will tell you right away. I want to say that I was involved in this matter at a later stage, in an effort to find a way with the Egyptian government - with which we have a very important strategic partnership - to preserve the religious character and of course the status quo that existed before. What is most crucial, in my opinion, is first of all for the Monastery to acquire a legal status. It is inconceivable that for fifteen centuries this Monastery would not have any legal status and would be treated like any other antiquity in Egypt. Unfortunately, we had not managed to do this for decades and centuries.
And the second thing, which in my opinion we should ensure, is the continuity of the Monastery. It is important that the religious and Greek Orthodox character is recorded, but the continuity of the Monastery should also be legally ensured. At the moment, the monks reside there with limited-term visas. Egypt could, at any time, reject renewing the visas, so in fact there would be no monastic life. So, for me, the crucial things are the legal status and continuity of the Monastery and ensuring the ownership of the places of worship. We are currently holding discussions about this. Our relations with Egypt are excellent. We will support the Monastery with every ounce of our strength, not only because it has a Greek Orthodox character, but because it is an emblematic UNESCO monument, which at this moment cannot be altered in any way. And I want to tell you that, in the near future, we hope to have news regarding this issue.
JOURNALIST: Thank you very much, Minister.
G. GERAPETRITIS: It was a great pleasure, thank you.
June 13, 2025