JOURNALIST: The prime minister said the discussions may start when the provocations stop. What is your outlook on the ‘Cesme’ being in the Aegean, as well as the ‘Blue Homeland’ exercise in the area, which will last until 7 March?
N. DENDIAS: Allow me to make an observation on everything you said, Mr. Siadimas, because each word has its meaning. What Prime Minister Mitsotakis and I said was that Greece continues to look positively on the potential for constructive dialogue. A dialogue based on International Law, on the sole bilateral dispute with Turkey: the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and the continental shelf in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. A period of calm was a prerequisite for launching this dialogue. Last December, the European leaders stressed the need for Turkey to abstain from provocative actions so that the exploratory talks could start and move ahead smoothly. I stress this because Turkey’s conduct is being monitored constantly. The fact that the ‘Oruç Reis’ has not returned to the Eastern Mediterranean for three months now does not mean that Greece and the European Union are absolving Turkey of its sins. Regarding the oceanographic vessel ‘Cesme’, in particular, we have already made a demarche and we have stressed that the issuing of the relevant Navtex is not only irregular, but also inconsistent with the effort towards de-escalation that we seek. Therefore, we see this action not just as unnecessary, but also as straining the relations between the two countries. I must highlight that the same holds true for the announcement of the ‘Blue Homeland’ exercise. Even if this exercise takes place every year in international waters, the fact that it is being carried out in the current state of affairs and that it is called ‘Blue Homeland’ are unfriendly gestures towards Greece and are not conducive to the climate of trust we are trying to build.
JOURNALIST: Will the Cesme’s presence in the Aegean and the ‘Blue Homeland’ exercise impact the conduct of the exploratory contacts?
N. DENDIAS: It is clear that provocative statements and ‘demonstrations of force’ do not help the efforts toward a constructive dialogue. The Greek side wishes for the continuation of this process. We are not the ones sabotaging it. In fact, for weeks now we have proposed dates for holding the next round in Athens, and we are awaiting the Turkish response. We are approaching this in good faith. But we are not naive. We will not fall into the trap of undermining the talks, if that really is the other side’s intention. It now remains for Turkey to prove, in practice, that it wants the smooth continuation of the talks, and threats and constant tension do not help in that direction.
JOURNALIST: Will EU-Turkish relations be discussed at the European Council meeting at the end of March? Given that countries like Germany are promoting a positive agenda with Turkey, invoking the exploratory contacts, is it in our interest for this discussion to take place then?
N. DENDIAS: A lot can happen in a month. Two things are certain: First, a report will be submitted to the European Council and will include a special chapter on Turkey’s behaviour towards EU member states, such as Greece and Cyprus. In this context, we expect all of Turkey’s actions in the region to be set out, at least over the past year, including what happened in Evros, the constant violations of Greek airspace, the fly-overs, the ‘Oruç Reis’, the ‘picnic’ in Varosha, and so forth. Unfortunately, it is a long list. In our view, this report will have to include proposals for potential restrictive measures. It could also include proposals for certain positive steps in EU-Turkey relations, provided there is room for that. Second, no one should be under the impression that Turkey only needs to show good behaviour for another month. Turkey’s conduct will continue to be on the European Council agenda after March. Let us hope that the European Union’s discussions of our neighbour are positive in the end. Because, as I have said repeatedly, the majority of the Turkish people favour their country’s European perspective. And Greece sees it as beneficial for this particular perspective to remain ‘alive’, under the key condition, however, that Turkey respect and embrace Europe’s principles and values.
JOURNALIST: You had a phone conversation with the new U.S. Secretary of State. What stance do you expect from the U.S. on Turkey and our region?
N. DENDIAS: I spoke at length with my new U.S. counterpart, Mr. Blinken. Our conversation took place in a very positive atmosphere, as befits two countries that are linked by a strategic partnership and that share the same values regarding security and stability in the region. Among other things, I briefed the U.S. Secretary of State on the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, including with respect to Turkey. But our discussion ranged beyond that. Our country’s relations with the U.S. should not be seen only from that perspective. We talked about further enhancement of our excellent bilateral relations, with the aim of signing the amended defense cooperation agreement – if conditions allow – in Athens this fall. We also talked about the tectonic shifts in the wider environment and how Greece can contribute substantially to peace and prosperity in the region, while also serving as a bridge between the Middle East and the Gulf, on the one hand, and the Balkans and the rest of Europe, on the other. And this was the main goal of the Philia Forum that we held in Athens a few weeks ago.
JOURNALIST: Italy recently invited Libya to delimit the maritime zones between the two countries. Have we been notified of the boundaries they are proposing? Does it affect us? And how are they dealing with the illegal and null and void Turkish-Libyan memorandum?
N. DENDIAS: Allow me to make three brief observations on this.
First, the conclusion of an agreement delimiting our exclusive economic zone with Italy last June and, a few months later, with Egypt, as well as the agreement with Albania to refer the same issue to The Hague – always based on the International Law of the Sea – seems to have incited negotiations between other Mediterranean countries. Greece welcomes these initiatives, as they consolidate the stance it maintains: the delimitation of these maritime zones on the basis of International Law is the only way forward for all the states in the region.
Second, with regard to what you rightly called the illegal and null and void Turkish-Libyan memorandum, the coordinates of which are hundreds of nautical miles east of the Greek-Italian delimitation line, I just want to point out that it was condemned by the European Council in December 2019, and thus by Italy as well.
Third, Greece looks forward to strengthening its bilateral relations with Libya, under the leadership of the new transitional government, and in this context, it will be just the third European country to reopen its embassy in Tripoli in the immediate future.
