Gerapetritis: Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting confirmed ‘the good atmosphere in Greek-Turkish relations’

A meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York, on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly, served to “confirm the good atmosphere” as well as good cooperation on issues that are important for Greece and Turkiye, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said in a statement to the national broadcaster ERT late on Tuesday.

“The two leaders tasked the foreign ministers to explore whether conditions are favourable for initiating discussions on the demarcation of the continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone,” he announced, while also emphasising the importance of good neighbourly relations for both countries in a currently turbulent geopolitical environment.
He reported that the toughest and most crucial topic under discussion at the 79th UN General Assembly was the crisis in the Middle East, which in spite of all efforts to the contrary was spreading instead of being contained. “It has already spread to the Red Sea and now Lebanon, with all the bloodshed that has occurred in the last two days,” he noted.

” I had the opportunity to participate in a meeting of European Union foreign ministers with the foreign ministers of the Arab states, an initiative that was proposed by Greece in the context of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, so there can be coordination and we can look at the possibilities for an immediate ceasefire, so that there can be humanitarian aid and, of course, an immediate release of the hostages,” Gerapetritis said.
He also reported on his “crucial bilateral meetings” with his Egyptian counterpart, saying that these had both confirmed the strategic relationship between Greece and Egypt but also focused on how there could be a creative approach to improving the situation in the Middle East and containing the wave of hostilities.

The minister also spoke about his meeting with the foreign minister of Lebanon, which was currently at the centre of these hostilities, noting that the casualty count in Lebanon was “disheartening” and his meeting with his counterpart from Yemen, which was particularly important for free navigation in the Red Sea.

The minister pointed out that a Greek-owned ship had been attacked by Houthi rebels there, creating the risk of an environmental disaster, and was now being towed to safer waters by the EUNAVFOR ‘Aspides’ mission led by Greece so that the oil could be pumped out and the ecological crisis averted.

“For the next two years, Greece will be a member of the UN Security Council, a member almost unanimously elected by all UN member states. In this context, we will make every possible effort so that there is a return, as envisioned in the United Nations Charter, to the idea of a peaceful resolution of differences, of a cessation of hostilities, of enforcing respect for human rights and containing the blood-steeped repercussions of all wars,” he said.
Regarding the Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting, Gerapetritis said there was a discussion on the need for further cooperation in migration, especially in light of the extremely fragile situation in the wider region, both in the Middle East and in Africa. The two sides also discussed issues relating to further cooperation and the Cyprus problem, where there were hopes of a resumption of talks in the framework of UN Security Council resolutions, including the next moves and time line.

He said work on the three pillars – political dialogue, confidence building measures and the positive agenda – will be done up to the end of the year and be followed by a High-Level Council in January, adding that the Turkish foreign minister will visit Greece soon to make the necessary preparations.

“The good atmosphere was confirmed. It is essential now, more than ever before, when we are in a region that is surrounded by constant geopolitical threats and in the midst of two wars, that there are relations of understanding and good neighbourliness,” the minister concluded.

SOURCE; ANA-MPA