JOURNALIST: Minister, let us start with the latest developments regarding the announcement of marine parks in the Ionian Sea and southern Cyclades. What is the timeline for the rest of the Aegean Sea?
G. GERAPETRITIS: The government's decision to establish marine national parks in the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea makes Greece a pioneer in the field of marine ecosystem protection in the Mediterranean. For this reason, the initiative has been widely welcomed by environmental organizations, international bodies, and civil society. The sea is our greatest asset, and a legacy we owe to pass on to future generations. Through the establishment of these new marine national parks, about one-third of our national territorial waters will enjoy enhanced protection, and their monitoring will be upgraded. Based purely on environmental criteria, the most sensitive marine ecosystems in the Aegean have been prioritized. Once the institutional process - including public consultation and the issuance of a relevant presidential decree - is completed, environmental studies for the new marine parks in the Aegean will begin.
JOURNALIST: How do you assess Ankara's reaction? Türkiye announced that it will present its own environmental protection plans. Are you concerned that Türkiye might ignore the framework of "calm waters"?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Greece does not take instructions from anyone regarding actions within its territorial waters — and we made this absolutely clear in our response to Türkiye’s reaction. Nothing will stop us from exercising our rights and implementing our national policies. We demonstrated this with our Marine Spatial Planning and with the announcement of site surveys and exploitation of offshore blocks south of Crete, following Chevron’s expression of interest.
Marine environment sustainability is a shared challenge for all Mediterranean countries, and any related initiative is welcome, as long as it does not infringe on the rights of other countries and is based on genuine environmental criteria. If that is not the case, Greece has efficient response mechanisms at its disposal.
JOURNALIST: Have Greek-Turkish relations been stagnant in recent months? What are your expectations given that the High-Level Cooperation Council in Ankara is now expected to take place during the fall?
G. GERAPETRITIS: I am fundamentally opposed to the logic of stagnation. It is precisely this perception of “beneficial stagnation” that has historically fostered Turkish claims and weakened our negotiating position.
Since September 2023, we have chosen to place our bilateral relations within a structured dialogue framework based on three pillars, with designated owners and deliverables. We are working systematically within this framework. Last June we held both the Political Dialogue and the Positive Agenda meetings. These followed a Greek business delegation to Istanbul in May and the Confidence Building Measures, in April, in Thessaloniki. This momentum is yielding results. We continue to see growth in bilateral trade, improved management of migration flows, coordination in civil protection, strengthening of local economies and people-to-people ties through initiatives like temporary scheme of short stay tourist visits now in place for 12 Greek islands. And, of course, a significant reduction in violations of Greek national airspace.
As for high-level meetings, the Prime Minister is expected to meet with the Turkish President this September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where the date of the next High-Level Cooperation Council may also be determined.
JOURNALIST: Will the lifting of the casus belli be formally raised by Greece? Would extending territorial waters to 12 nautical miles be possible?
G. GERAPETRITIS: The threat of casus belli for the exercise of a country's sovereign right under International Law is inconceivable and constitutes a long-standing thorny issue in Greek-Turkish relations. Greece is systematically raising this issue in international fora and bilateral contacts. The extension of our territorial waters to 12 nautical miles is a right we have not and will not relinquish. In fact, it remains a constant component of our foreign policy. The government under the current Prime Minister was the first and only one historically to extend our territorial waters to 12 nautical miles in the Ionian Sea, up to Cape Tainaron. Under this government, no scenario that supports our national interests is merely hypothetical.
JOURNALIST: Is the path to The Hague still closed?
G. GERAPETRITIS: A common ground must be found regarding the scope of the discussion. Our position remains firm: there is one and only dispute.
JOURNALIST: How can Türkiye’s intransigence concerning a two-state solution in Cyprus be overcome?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Let’s start with the basics. It is a significant step that informal meetings have resumed under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General between the two leaders and in a broader format. These have led to a list of Confidence Building Measures and a roadmap for next steps. This was not easy after seven years of stagnation on the Cyprus Issue following Crans-Montana.
We made substantial efforts towards this goal, in full coordination with the Republic of Cyprus. The improvement in Greek-Turkish relations was also crucial. Until recently, Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot leadership insisted they would only engage in talks if they were granted sovereign status for the occupied territories. However, as long as the discussions are held under the auspices of the UN, the framework set by the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions is inevitably accepted. Divisive approaches that disregard International Law will be rejected by everyone, not only by Greece and Cyprus. We will continue to consider the reunification of Cyprus a major national priority.
JOURNALIST: Is Libya a lost cause? All moves from both Tripoli and Benghazi seem to run counter to Greek positions, and the country appears to be aligned with Türkiye’s agenda. Are there reliable interlocutors for us? The evolving landscape, particularly with regard to migratory flows and the contestation of Greek maritime zones, appears now confrontational. What is your assessment following your recent visit?
G. GERAPETRITIS: Libya is a country experiencing a deep national division. Within both the European Union and the UN Security Council, we support the view that Libya must be assisted in establishing a national reconciliation framework that is wholly Libyan-owned. Türkiye’s longstanding entrenchment in Libya, culminating in the null and void Turkish-Libyan memorandum of 2019, has not facilitated the country’s self-reliant development. In recent years, Greece has gradually built relations with both sides in Libya, upgrading our diplomatic representation at the Embassy in Tripoli and expanding the activities of our Consulate General in Benghazi.
My visits to Tripoli and Benghazi were carefully prepared, the meetings were held at the highest level, and included targeted proposals for cooperation. Regarding maritime zones, we are willing to relaunch the technical dialogue on the delimitation of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), strictly excluding any reference to legally null and void agreements. Libya’s Verbal Notes to the UN reflect longstanding positions and will be addressed thoroughly and accordingly. It is important to note, however, that Libya respected Greece’s position concerning the median line when it designated offshore blocks for exploration.
There was indeed a notable increase in migratory flows from eastern Libya, largely due to mass population movements from countries in the Sahel region, many of which are affected by armed conflicts. Following my visits, the situation has shown signs of improvement. Migratory flows have been reduced, bilateral cooperation with both sides has been initiated, and the Turkish-Libyan memorandum has not been ratified by the Parliament in eastern Libya. Despite Libya’s significant domestic problems, Greece is currently the only European country maintaining direct communication channels at the highest level with both sides. While long-standing issues between us remain unresolved, primarily due to the inability to conclude a delimitation agreement by 2010 and the signing of the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, I believe there is now a mutual acknowledgement of the need for two genuinely neighborly countries to engage in dialogue and cooperation.
JOURNALIST: What is the current status of the Monastery of Sinai? What are our expectations from Cairo, and when?
G. GERAPETRITIS: This is a matter of high sensitivity, which I fear has been misinterpreted by some, perhaps due to lacking information. The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai, a Monastery of immense historical and sentimental significance to Orthodoxy, has been operating for over 1,500 years. Regrettably, despite its centuries-long religious presence, the Egyptian legal order never provided for even a minimal special legal status for the Monastery. Hence the Monastery lacked legally recognized property titles, did not have legal personality to own assets in its name, and its monks were granted monthly renewable residence permits at the discretion of the Egyptian state. The Court of Appeal formally recognized, for the first time through its recent ruling, the Monastery’s status as a place of worship in perpetuity in an explicit and unambiguous manner. However, it did not recognize the Monastery’s ownership over the contested properties.
Therefore, we have not “lost” the Holy Monastery, which continues to retain its uninterrupted Greek Orthodox character. Nonetheless, this alone is not sufficient. The issues of property rights, legal personality, and the renewal of the monastic community remain unresolved. Following the issuance of the court decision, I took it upon myself to raise these matters with my Egyptian counterpart, whom I will host in Athens in early August. For this reason, I am in regular contact with the Sinai community, which ensures the Monastery’s historical memory.
I consider it particularly significant that our country is engaging in dialogue with Egypt on the matter of the Monastery, as this reaffirms Greece’s historical role as its custodian. I believe there is a mutual willingness to resolve the highly complex pending legal issues. After all, our relations with Egypt are not only strategic but also founded on a broader common understanding on regional and international issues. The institutional recognition of the Monastery’s status and the legal safeguarding of its continuity, would constitute a unique development in its 15 centuries-long history.
Finally, a draft law currently under consideration by the Hellenic Parliament provides a definitive solution to the issue of the legal personality of the Holy Monastery of Sinai within the Greek legal order. This is a particularly important development, addressing a long-standing request of the Sinai community, and ensuring, among other things, the Monastery’s legal representation in Greece, the management of its assets, and the advancement of its mission.
JOURNALIST: Do the criticisms from within your own party - and I am not only referring to the attacks you are facing from Antonis Samaras - affect you? Do you feel politically targeted in spite of the support you receive from the Prime Minister?
G. GERAPETRITIS: At times, I feel that I am not the ultimate target. After all, foreign policy is not the personal domain of any given Minister but is shaped by the Prime Minister and the Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA). I firmly believe that criticism is absolutely necessary, and public figures should accept it, regardless of how harsh it may be. However, for some, decency and the absence of a personal political agenda are perceived as weaknesses, resulting in personal and vulgar attacks. I consciously choose not to respond to such attacks and do my best not to be affected by them. My sole motivation is the desire to serve my country, to which I owe everything I have achieved. I did not enter politics in order to advance my professional career or my social status. I entered having already established a solid academic career, entirely self-made, and that is, for me, the greatest honor.
Those who - out of oppositional fervor, ignorance of complex geopolitical realities, or in an attempt to deflect their own past responsibilities - choose to resort to opportunistic statements on national issues seeking to stir people’s emotions, are doing a great disservice to our country. We are all accountable to history. I believe that when I complete my tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Greece will be in a much stronger position globally. With a robust presence in international organizations, with strategic alliances with key countries, with proactive policies advancing Greece’s interests, and with Greek citizens feeling safe and proud of their homeland. And rest assured that I will also do what others systematically neglect: self-criticism. Criticism without self-criticism is the very definition of hypocrisy.
July 26, 2025