Greece will continue to follow the legal path, respecting International Law, especially as Türkiye is not expected to change its behavior and do the same, Greek Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias said on Saturday.
In an interview to Protagon.gr, Dendias said, “Greece has assumed intensive efforts to counteract the growing aggression of Turkish rhetoric, and its illegal actions.” As he said, “Let us not have any illusions” that this will change. “Our response is to respect international rules and achieve joint international agreements with neighboring countries like Egypt, Italy, and, at political level, Albania for the recourse to the international court at The Hague – thus providing an example of the framework under which such issues should be dealt with. The recent example of the Israeli-Lebanese agreement should provide yet another clear example of the direction international practices are moving in,” he noted.
Dendias said that at this time Türkiye appears to be opening “the door of the madhouse” in Iraq and Syria, with unforeseen results. He expressed concern over these developments, “as it shows that Türkiye will not hesitate to use violence against its neighboring countries.” The recent events occurred “despite appeals by both the United States and Russia, who agree only on this point, even though they begin on entirely different premises and aim at different results,” he said.
Faced with such uncertainty, the Greek FM said, Greece is obliged to be in a state of preparedness. “We must be able to respond through the deterrence power we have, both diplomatic and military. We must ensure that ‘the door of the madhouse’ will remain hermetically sealed,” he stressed, which would benefit Greece and Turkish society. “For our opinion remains that we can live in peace with the Turkish society, within a joint framework of respect and internationally acceptable rules,” he pointed out.
The purpose for Greece is not to be fearful as a country and live within walled defenses, “but to be an extroverted country that seeks good neighborly relations, not just because of culture and history, but also becuase of an active presence in international developments,” Dendias said.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
