In his interview today on SKAI TV, with journalists Dimitris Economou and Maria Anastasopoulou, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis referred to the new period of consultations that started for Libya, following the Prime Minister’s recent visit to the country.
In particular, the Alternate Minister noted that, following Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ visit to Tripoli, where he raised the issue of the Turkey-Libya ‘memorandum’, it was understood that Greek interests should be taken into account in the delimitation of maritime zones and that Greece, as a member of the European Union, has the potential to influence the European stance towards Libya, especially at a time when the country is seeking its diplomatic, political and economic reconstruction. “Our message was received, which is very important. I don’t think the story ends here. I think it begins here,” he commented with regard to the Libyan Prime Minister’s statements in Ankara.
Furthermore, regarding the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs’ meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mr. Varvitsiotis made it clear that Greece does not discuss matters related to its sovereignty, and that the only difference concerns the demarcation of maritime zones. Regarding EU-Turkey relations, he underscored that Greece is the one largely determining their pace, as the normalisation of these relations is contingent upon the dialogue with Greece and the avoidance of provocative actions that undermine the stability and security of the region.
Finally, asked about his being targeted recently by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Varvitsiotis responded that there are forces in Turkey that do not want to see the consolidation of a good climate or improvement in Greek-Turkish relations, adding that Greece will not follow suit in that regard.
