JOURNALIST: Athens Declaration. Why is this text important? To what extent does it commit Greece and Türkiye to "calm waters"? What are the objectives in view of the new meeting between Mitsotakis and Erdoğan in the spring?
G. GERAPETRITIS: The Athens Declaration is a highly symbolic and significant text. It demonstrates, at the highest level, the firm political will to deepen our bilateral ties, establish the principles and milestones of our dialogue, and reaffirm our friendship, with explicit reference to the United Nations Charter and recognized principles of international law.
100 years after the Treaty of Lausanne and 93 years after the Venizelos-İnönü Treaty of Greek-Turkish Friendship were signed, the Athens Declaration aims at taking a decisive step in addressing historical burdens of the past, even though it does not formally produce legal commitments.
In the next year, the two governments will maintain their cooperation at the levels of political dialogue, positive agenda, and confidence building measures. Of course, the implementation of the agreements, concluded at the High-Level Cooperation Council on 7 December, will be monitored and additional objectives will be set. This cooperation will result in the shaping of a new roadmap for dialogue, which our leaders will endorse at their upcoming meetings, in Ankara next spring and at the NATO summit in Washington in summer. We, the two Foreign Ministers, honoured by our countries’ leaders with the mandate to lead the overall Greek-Turkish dialogue, will obviously be in regular and direct communication.
JOURNALIST: What do we expect from now on regarding the political dialogue? What will the agenda be? Will we enter into issues on which we disagree, or will we attempt to preserve the good climate for as long as possible by avoiding them?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Within the framework of the political dialogue both bilateral and regional issues are discussed. At the moment, the discussions, which are being successfully conducted by Deputy Minister Papadopoulou on behalf of the Greek government, have focused on civil protection and migration issues. The political dialogue also includes the discussion on establishing and maintaining communication channels to de-escalate crises. Our goal is that any disagreements, that exist, do not lead to tensions. This requires continuous and direct communication between the parties. These channels have significantly contributed to the sustainability of the climate of calm in recent months. When conditions mature, the next step may be a discussion regarding the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, which is the sole dispute that could be brought before international jurisdiction. We will move step by step. We are not afraid of challenging situations, but we want to act prudently.
JOURNALIST: Are the Greek-Turkish relations entering into a new phase or have the two countries agreed to disagree? What does it mean that the discussion on the continental shelf/EEZ will begin "when conditions mature"? Is a referral to the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the horizon?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Now we discuss with Türkiye on a new basis. We have managed to improve the level of mutual understanding and establish the required interpersonal relationships. The new understanding covers various areas of cooperation and is reflected in agreements, memoranda and joint declarations. The Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighborliness is the capstone of the new, mutually beneficial chapter in our bilateral relations.
Indeed, the discussion on the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone could be the next big step. The maturing of the conditions for the beginning of the discussion refers to the further consolidation of our region's current calm, the consolidation of mechanisms for decompressing tensions and the actual implementation of the agreements and memoranda already signed. From the beginning, we stated that the rapprochement between the two countries should take place in stages, with prudence and diligence. We will not confine ourselves to easy situations, nor will we hide in difficult ones. However, it is critical for each subsequent phase that the parties have consistently and practically demonstrated their sincere and genuine willingness, and that the preliminary stages of the consultations have yielded tangible results.
JOURNALIST: Erdoğan insisted on his positions regarding the Muslim minority in Thrace, but he did not visit the region. Instead, members of the minority, including two MPs, came to meet him. Was this discussed during the meeting between Mitsotakis and Erdoğan?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Indeed, contrary to what happened in the past, the Turkish President did not travel to Thrace during his visit to Greece. He positioned himself on the Muslim minority in his remarks, as did the Greek Prime Minister. The equality and protection of the citizens of the Muslim minority fall within the sovereign competence of the Greek State. In this sense, no such issue was or could be raised for discussion. The Greek government works tirelessly to ensure equal opportunities and to improve the standard of living of all citizens, and wishes that minorities serve as a bridge between the two peoples.
JOURNALIST: The migration/refugee issue is turning from a source of confrontation into a bridge of cooperation between Greece and Türkiye. An issue that is also related to the EU. How do you evaluate it, and how do we proceed?
G. GERAPETRITIS: We must work together to control irregular migration and combat illegal trafficking networks in order to advance the mutual interests of both countries and protect human lives. The truth is that migration flows have decreased as a result of both systematic coordination among all relevant bodies and effective border surveillance on land and sea. We will continue to work in this direction. After all, the migration/refugee issue is at the top of the European agenda. Our country plays a leading role in the ongoing debate within the European institutions on the New Migration and Asylum Pact.
In the context of this broader debate, the issue of further financial support for Türkiye by the European Commission is also being discussed, with the goal of improving border control and refugee accommodation facilities on Turkish territory. Of course, we have to adopt a serious and forward-looking approach to the matter of legal migration, which is primarily related to our country's labor needs.
JOURNALIST: The "positive agenda" is significant in the dialogue. The Prime Minister's goal is to double bilateral trade. Are there any plans for agreements that will create new prospects in the near future? The Turkish President referred to energy. Is energy cooperation possible, and if so, on what basis?
G. GERAPETRITIS: The positive agenda creates a legacy of mutual benefits and extremely significant economic inputs. These are not abstract measures of cooperation or understanding, but agreements with concrete deliverables and timetables. The positive agenda includes cooperation measures in important areas, such as entrepreneurship, tourism, transport, innovation, science and technology, agriculture, environment, social security, health, education and sports. In fact, a large Greek business delegation led by Deputy Minister Fragogiannis, who does a great job in economic diplomacy and extroversion, is scheduled to visit Istanbul next February to explore investment prospects and synergies.
Regarding energy cooperation, I would like to recall that it already exists, as the TAP transadriatic gas pipeline begins at the Greek-Turkish border as an extension of the TANAP pipeline. The cooperation between the two countries in the electric power sector is expanded through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) and its Turkish counterpart TEIAS in the field of electrical interconnection. The MoU concerns the construction of a new interconnection line between Nea Santa and Babaeski with the aim of upgrading the Greece-Türkiye electrical interconnection and increasing the volume of bi-directional power flow by 600 MW.
The objective of doubling the volume of trade from €5.5 billion to €10 billion is, in our opinion, realistic and achievable. We have already drawn up the strategic map to achieve this objective and we will work systematically and professionally by implementing the agreements signed and concluding new ones in the near future.
JOURNALIST: On Friday, Rama said that Greece is not right in the Beleri case, that the case does not concern the minority and that he was not involved. I would like to ask for your comment on that.
G. GERAPETRITIS: The Greek government has regularly and consistently stated that the due assumption of duties of the elected Mayor of Himarë is solely a matter of political will and administrative action. Our country has no intention of interfering in the internal proceedings of the Albanian judiciary and does not do so. However, respect for Mr. Beleri's political right to be elected as well as for the expressed will of Himarë’s citizens cannot be ignored. This is contrary to the rule of law and the protection of the rights of minorities. All the more so when the subject of the right is in temporary detention, has not been found guilty by a court, and the trial on the merits of the case has not yet begun despite the passage of considerable time. Therefore, we expect the Albanian government to provide concrete steps of how the European acquis is being implemented, rather than merely commenting on the pending trial. Furthermore, the expression of unfavorable statements by government officials against a defendant constitutes a clear violation of the presumption of innocence, according to the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
December 16, 2023