The Turkish drillship “Fatih” remains in the Cypriot EEZ and, according to estimates, it is a matter of time before it carries out its first drilling. How does the Greek side plan to deal with such a development?
Not only Greece, but the entire European Union, as well as the US, have explicitly condemned in the most unequivocal manner Turkeys’ unilateral and blatantly illegal actions in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone. I remind you that the European Union, through the European Council's decision of March 2018, condemns these illegal actions in the most absolute manner and calls upon Turkey to stop, a statement which was repeated in an even more equivocal manner recently by Federica Mogherini. We had similar statements from the State Department and other major international players. In other words, in the international community, it is completely clear today as to who is right. Also, the fact must not be overlooked that the recent upgrading of our country's position has played a crucial role in these developments.
Our country remains in ongoing consultation with the Republic of Cyprus to ensure the most effective coordination of actions. And we have recently gained valuable diplomatic capital which we are now making full use of. Greece is now recognised as a factor of stability, as a responsible power which takes positive initiatives for establishing cooperation and prosperity in the entire region. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Turkey's revisionism and continued unlawful conduct undermines stability in the region instead of strengthening it.
In any case, we feel that the presence of “Fatih” in the Cypriot EEZ is a blatant violation of international law and the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus. Turkeys political message is essentially that international law does not matter, power matters. And through displays of strength, Turkey seeks to create grey zones.
In short, we are, in other words, a power that supports international law and chooses to resolve its unresolved issues through dialogue and on the basis of international law - as was demonstrated, I remind you, by the Prespa Agreement - while Turkey is a revisionist power which resorts to these distractions. Through these, it does not achieve its goals of course, since its actions are frowned upon by the entire international community. On the contrary, through these actions, it further accentuates its isolation, something we are not pleased with, because we want a Turkey that is on a European trajectory, which respects international law and the rules of good neighbourliness.
The Turkish delegation has been in Athens since Monday, 20 May, in order to hold talks with the Greek side to explore actions in the context of implementing Confidence-Building Measures. At the current stage, do you feel that fertile ground can be found for a solution, during a period that turkey continuously escalates tension in the Aegean;
It would be unrealistic to speak of solutions at this time. As indicated by their name, these measures do not aim at achieving solutions, but at building confidence by both sides. At this point, the basic purpose is to implement measures already agreed upon in the past, for the purpose of de-escalating tension, so that an accident does not result, something that neither of the two sides wants. We are talking about measures such as the well-known Papoulias-Yilmaz memorandum, which had established a moratorium on military exercises during the vacation and holiday periods.
I remind you that during the Prime Minister's most recent visit to Turkey, the two leaders had agreed for talks between military teams to recommence on confidence-building measures. This intention was reiterated during our recent meeting in Helsinki with my Turkish counterpart.
Indeed, even before the meeting to which you are referring, another had preceded, in the context of the regular bilateral consultations between the delegations of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs in Athens, in mid-April. Therefore, the objective at this point is to have a full record, and for both sides to agree as to what has taken place in the past as well as how it is implemented, because this is often challenged by Turkey, even with regard to the existing confidence-building measures.
In any case, we do not abandon the effort for political dialogue. And, if not the sole country, we are among the last countries that support Turkey's European prospects. We are not pleased with its isolation. But the framework within which we can hold talks with Turkey is the framework of International Law; and specifically, as regards issues of marine exploitation of our economic resources, the framework is the Law of the Sea.
European elections will be held in a few days. What do you believe will be the major issue that will determine the final outcome?
In Europe, two completely opposing views on Europe are clashing in the upcoming elections: one of them expresses this paradoxical union between neo-liberalism and the extreme right, while the other expresses the social Europe, open societies, freedoms and rights. Likewise, the stakes and the political fronts in our country are being shaped in much the same, bipolar way. The individual political issues are clearly not the same in every country. But there is a common element in North and South as a result of the policies being implemented in the EU in recent decades.
The European social model, a historic acquis, today finds itself being challenged. Inequalities are becoming explosive, both in the interior as well as among countries, as a result of the austerity policies and the incomplete architecture of the Eurosystem. At the same time, the supporting values of European democracy are being challenged, with the major lack being the lack of a political legitimacy which reflects deeper and structural social and democratic shortcomings of European integration. Fundamental gains of the past have been undercut and, as a result, the upcoming elections constitute an existential challenge of historic proportions for Europe.
I would like to believe that Europe will come out of this ordeal stronger, especially as regards its social and democratic dimension, to the benefit of the many and its peoples.
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May 23, 2019