Filenews 22 June 2022 - by Andreas Pimpisis
European Union leaders are expected to condemn Turkey for its provocative actions against Greece and Cyprus at the upcoming European Council, which will take place in Brussels. The Turkish Government will be called upon to show respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the EU Member States.
According to Euractiv, which has seen the draft EU conclusions, the Union's leaders are expected to condemn Turkey. In particular, the draft conclusions note the following: "The European Council expressed deep concern at Turkey's repeated recent actions and statements. Turkey must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all EU member states." Recalling its previous conclusions and the statement of 25 March 2021, the European Council "expects Turkey to fully respect international law, de-escalate tensions in the interest of regional stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and promote good neighbourly relations in a sustainable manner".
MITSOTAKIS INTERVIEW
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in an interview with Capital.gr, described any questioning of Greece's sovereignty as inconceivable and reprehensible, stressing that extreme rhetoric cannot lead Turkey anywhere.
"It is inconceivable that anyone should be talking about changing borders. Therefore, any questioning of our national sovereignty, without any justification, is completely inconceivable and reprehensible from the outset. It is a debate that no one will ever even accept to have", noted Mr. Mitsotakis. At the same time, he spoke of strengthening Greece's geopolitical prestige, arguing that it contributes to the defence of the country's national rights.
Asked if Greece's stance in the Ukraine war and more broadly its strategic alliances will pay off, in case the country faces national challenges, Mr. Mitsotakis replied that "the country must be on the right side of history, not only because this is the morally correct, but also because this is the beneficial for national interests".
"When today we highlight Turkish expansionism in the Eastern Mediterranean, we are contrasting it, to a certain extent, with what happened in Russia and Ukraine. And this is something that our partners understand", he pointed out.
Describing it as "inconceivable for anyone to discuss a change of borders", the Greek Prime Minister underlined that any questioning of Greece's sovereignty, "without any excuse, is completely inconceivable and reprehensible from the beginning".
"It's a conversation that no one will even accept to have. I am not talking about Greece, I am also talking about our partners", he added.
As he mentioned, Greece's position today is geopolitically strengthened. "And in terms of relations with the United States, we had a very successful visit to the U.S., which reaffirmed the strategic depth of our relations. But also at a European level, the European institutions have unreservedly supported Greece, as have now done, I would say, all the member-states of the European Union in terms of their bilateral positions", he said.
"Everyone understands that this extreme Turkish rhetoric has crossed the line and obviously cannot ultimately lead Turkey anywhere," the Greek prime minister pointed out.
Moreover, he noted that Greece, through its strategic alliances, invests in strengthening its role as a factor of stability in the wider region.
In this context, he pointed out that the progress made at an economic level contributes to the direction of defending national rights and strengthening the geopolitical position of the country, which is no longer treated as the "black sheep" of Europe.
NATO SUMMIT
Speaking to the Athens News Agency on Monday, a diplomat said that "it is not likely" that Turkey will raise the issue of demilitarisation of the Greek islands at the NATO summit.
"Erdogan [possibly] would raise the issue of demilitarization of the islands, only if the problem with Sweden and Finland has not been solved by the Madrid Summit. He would only do this if he wants to disorientate himself from the main problem of the accession of the two Scandinavian countries and turn to Greece for a distraction," the diplomat said.
"If this happens, the Greek side will calmly explain, as always, that the NATO Summit is not the place to make such absurd claims," the same source said.
Vulnerable Cyprus
The Foreign Minister, speaking to his colleagues at the last Foreign Affairs Council, noted that the most vulnerable point, on the whole front of the Turkish threats, is Cyprus. During the discussion of the issue of Turkish threats in the Aegean, Mr. Kasoulides "expressed his full support to Greece and underlined our great concern about what is happening in the Aegean because", as he pointed out, "these are also transferred to Cyprus with the illegal visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to the occupied territories, the illegal actions in the enclosed area of Varosha and generally with the toxic environment maintained by the Turkish Cypriot leadership".
They work calmly and in a coordinated manner
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, according to Greek diplomatic sources, noted that "Turkish provocative and delinquent behaviour has escalated at a rhetorical level and on the ground", while underlining "Turkey's ongoing revisionism, which is expressed both in constant threats and in direct questioning of the sovereignty of Greek islands".
In Athens, the representative of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "Greece does not anticipate the stance that Turkey will take at the next NATO summit as well as in other international meetings for action and neither does it circulate scenarios regarding the possibility of raising Turkish unilateral allegations about demilitarization of the Aegean islands". "We face with prudence and composure the escalation of Turkish rhetoric and we respond with arguments, on the basis of International Law and the Law of the Sea", adds Mr. Papaioannou and concludes: "At the same time, we inform our partners and allies about the Turkish delinquent behaviour".
In Nicosia, Dimitris Demetriou, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said (speaking to cyBC) that there is full coordination between Greece and Cyprus on Turkish provocativeness as expressed in rhetoric.
