Athens’ message to Ankara: “Gunboat diplomacy belongs to another era”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, made a special reference to Greek-Turkish relations, and the new threat against Greek islands speaking today during the annual general assembly of the Association of Businesses and Industries of the Peloponnese and Western Greece, which took place in Patras.

In particular, as he said, “Greek argumentation is absolutely sufficient, absolutely convincing and has in its arsenal the most modern arguments of international law.” “On the contrary,” he continued, “Turkish positions do not stand up to any criticism, they are manifestations of a neo-Ottoman revisionism, parts of an ideology of a so-called regional superpower, which seeks to impose its will by threatening to use its power against its neighbors.”

The messages in Turkey

He added, “I sincerely hope that Turkey sees clearly that this policy is deadlocked, returns to the path of convergence towards the European Union, European and world values ​​and understands that Greece can be a bridge to Europe, a bridge to a better future, which I firmly believe in a very important part of the Turkish people and Turkish society, that is, whenever given the opportunity to speak freely and to stop the attempt to confine Turkish society and Greece in the future “.

Continuing, Nikos Dendias pointed out that “in claims and rivalries that belong to past centuries and past eras, it should be made clear to Turkey that the policy of gunboats, the policy of the Suleiman the Magnificent in the Mediterranean, belongs entirely to another era, in the 16th century, or the gunboats of the 19th and early 20th. However, in no way in the 21st century “.

“I do not have much optimism”

“But I do not have much optimism,” said Nikos Dendias, stressing at the same time that “our answer is national unity, national solidarity, our ability to promote our positions and our belief that regardless of parameters the country is strong and can, based on its own Armed Forces and the forces of its society and economy, defend national rights and the future of its next generations. ”

Also, Nikos Dendias said during his speech that when he was given the huge honor to take over as Minister of Foreign Affairs, “I believed that we would be able to find communication codes with Turkey and resolve the only difference we have, which is the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone in the seas that surround us “.

He added, “My optimism has grown, because after 50 years we have been able to resolve the issue with Italy and sign the relevant agreement, we have resolved the issue with Egypt and I signed the relevant agreement, we have resolved the issue with Albania and I believe that after the election of the new president we will be able to proceed with the signing of the agreement with Albania and the referral of our dispute to The Hague”.

“So with this perception,” he added, according to APE, “I thought that Greece would be able to find codes of conciliation with Turkey and be able to resolve our dispute, but unfortunately this was a completely wrong prediction.”

“Barbs” against the Turkish-Libyan memorandum

He went on to say that “we are facing a constant expansion of arguments and claims against our country, beyond international law, beyond any logic” and added: “I mention the Turkish memorandum, which apportions sea areas ignoring the fact that under international law the islands have the same rights as the mainland, ie territorial waters and even territorial waters up to 12 miles, but also an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

To make clear the absurdity of this agreement, imagine Greece signing exclusive economic zones with Spain, ignoring that Italy is in the middle.

And also the ideology of the blue homeland, the perception that the Greek islands of the eastern Aegean are on the Turkish continental shelf and have no other rights, ie they must be cut off from the trunk of Greece to which they belong under the Treaty of Lausanne.

Worse still, they added last year the new argument that Greek sovereignty over the islands of the eastern Aegean is based on the demilitarization agreement, otherwise Greek sovereignty is not absolute, but relative. And consequently it is disputed indirectly but very clearly by the Turkish side “.

“We have responded to all this with a series of letters, the last of which was sent to the United Nations a few days ago and is perhaps the most interesting in terms of international law,” he said.