“The East Mediterranean In Crisis”
“First of all, I would like to thank you for the invitation. Unfortunately, due to pre-arranged commitments, I am unable to join you today for what promises to be a very interesting discussion. However, I attach particular importance to today's discussion and in this respect I deemed it important to make a short contribution.
The Eastern Mediterranean is once again, beyond doubt, in a state of turmoil. There are numerous challenges, some old but persistent, some new. They all gravely destabilize the region, as well as threaten Europe's prosperity and stability as a whole.
I will not dwell on these challenges, because they are known. However, I would like to stress one common denominator, which is unfortunately one particular country in the region: Turkey.
Greece's relations with Turkey have gone through various phases over the past decades, some were good, many not that good. And at this juncture, Turkey is once again laying illegal and provocative claims on Greece's sovereignty and Greek sovereign rights. Furthermore, it seeks to directly destabilize my country. This pattern of behaviour is not new.
But there are three distinct elements that are new and that are particularly worrying:
First, we observe that Turkey is using a wide array of tools in order to achieve its goals. These range from the threat of use of force, covert or on many occasions, overt, the attempts to illegally explore for gas reserves in areas that fall within the Greek Continental Shelf. By instrumentalising the migration-refugee issue. And by using fake news and propaganda in order to tarnish Greece's image.
Second, we see a long-term pattern in Turkish behaviour. This is not a crisis that lasts for a few days and is followed by de-escalation. We have been observing for more than a year now, a continuous and growing effort to test Greece's resilience. And, unfortunately, our prediction is that this state of affairs is not likely to change dramatically in the future.
Third, Turkey is not just challenging Greece. By remaining stuck in its Neo-Ottoman ambitions and by using 19th century tactics, it is destabilising the broader region. It is overtly involved militarily in Cyprus, Libya and Syria, as well as Northern Iraq. It is present in the Caucasus and by having transformed itself into a "travel agency for jihadists", it is posing a direct threat to Europe and the countries of the Mediterranean.
Our response to this clear and present security challenge is to stick to the rules and principles that should guide international relations. In particular good-neighbourly relations. We believe that countries should resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue and by abiding to the basic tenets of international law, including the International Law of the Sea.
In this respect, Greece has turned into actions, rather than stick to words. In the space of a few months, we have reached two monumental agreements, first with Italy and subsequently with Egypt on the delimitation of our respective maritime zones. We have also reached an agreement with Albania to refer the pending issue on the delimitation of our respective maritime zones to the International Court of Justice. This is how peaceful nations resolve their differences, not through gun-boat diplomacy.
We are also working in enhancing the European perspective of our Western Balkans neighbours. We remain convinced that the path to stability and prosperity goes through an EU accession perspective.
Last, but, definitely not least, we are building our bilateral and multilateral ties with the other countries of the region, as well as the Gulf states. We are also opening new avenues of cooperation with emerging global powers such as India, while at the same time strengthening our already excellent bilateral relations with the US.
In closing, allow me to be clear on one point: we are not going back to 19th century politics. We are not building Alliances against anyone. On the contrary, we are open to expand the framework of cooperation with all of our neighbours. With one caveat: that they respect the principles of good neighbourly relations and international law. I presume that we are not asking for much...
Thank you for your attention and I wish you an interesting and lively discussion.”
November 5, 2020