Greek deputy foreign minister of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Turkish aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean

Deputy Foreign Minister Miltiadis Barvitsiotis described Turkey's actions as "unilateral, illegal and provocative", briefing the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee today, presenting evidence of continuing Turkish aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean - September 10, 2020 At the same time, he called on the EU to listen to the voice of the European Parliament and send a strong and decisive message to Ankara that "there is no room for provocative and illegal actions and behaviour". Specifically, Mr. Varvitsiotis, addressing the members of the committee, made it clear that these actions pose a serious threat to peace and security in the Eastern Mediterranean. "They blatantly violate" International Law and the sovereign rights of Greece, they severely undermine the interests of the EU, they are not another chapter in the turbulent Greek-Turkish relationship, but a serious threat to the security architecture of the region." He clarified that Greece wants to resolve the dispute with Turkey over the delimitation of the maritime zones in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, through dialogue and if that fails, through the joint appeal to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, but not in the face of threats. "We do not want to solve this problem by using weapons. "This dialogue cannot take place under military pressure and threats." He added: "Dialogue with threats is blackmail." He also stressed that the Summit should send a strong and decisive message to Ankara that "you have limited time to change course" so that Turkey can stop the challenges and return to the table of dialogue. "The EU urgently needs to play its part in the region. What is at stake is European sovereignty and the strategic autonomy of the EU. De-escalation must come immediately. And it must come from those who cause tension. "All Turkish ships, both military and research, must be withdrawn immediately, as their presence is a violation of their sovereign rights," he said. On the issue of sanctions, he stressed that they should be smart and effective and aimed at the Turkish state, so that it changes course and not at the citizens, who do not support Erdogan in his aggressive stance, as opinion polls show. In particular, Mr. Varvitsiotis informed the committee about the provocative actions and aggression of Turkey that violates the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus, such as the illegal drilling within the Cypriot EEZ and the Turkolivik memorandum, which - as he said - "does not they share common borders with no kind of imagination ". He referred in detail to the incidents with the inhuman - as he noted - instrumentalization of immigrants in Evros, the successive NAVTEX for the investigations of Oruc Reis and the mission of the Turkish fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean region. He also pointed out that Greece was also forced to send its fleet to the region and only due to restraint there was no military involvement. He made it clear that it is false news that our country denies the dialogue, denouncing Turkey's aggressive rhetoric about "allegedly maximalist aspirations of Greece". He described Turkey as a destabilizing factor in the region and showed a map of the "blue homeland" that includes parts with half the Aegean and half the Greek islands. He described in detail Turkey's military involvement in conflicts in Libya, Syria, Iraq, the Caucasus and support for Hamas. He also recalled the offensive rhetoric of the Turkish leadership against the Prime Minister, but also other EU leaders and accused it of cultivating a nationalist, populist and Islamic front, citing as an example the transformation of St. Wisdom in a mosque. Addressing the commission members, he said Ankara was increasingly acting as a "revisionist force" and that it was using military force, without hesitation, as a tool to enforce its foreign policy goals. It threatens war, distorts reality and poisons Turkish public opinion. In addition, he handed over to MEPs a list of events in recent months, as well as a chronology of threats by Erdogan and other Turkish officials, which he said were characterized by hate speech. The Deputy Foreign Minister also welcomed the German initiative, noting that "we seek European solidarity", but made it clear that if necessary we would defend our sovereign rights "even on our own". He noted, characteristically, that Greece is not the one that will cause a military incident, but it is not going to leave Kastellorizo and the Greeks living there. Responding to questions from MEPs on the Cyprus issue, he said that "a condition for the solution of the Cyprus issue is the withdrawal of Turkish troops" and that "you can not have a unified Cyprus, an EU Member State with 30,000 Turkish troops", noting that "None of you would accept such a thing for your country." Finally, in relation to the immigration center of Moria, Mr. Varvitsiotis stressed that what the authorities are trying to do is to provide shelter to the migrants, to restore the feeling of security on the island and to limit any transmission of COVID19 from those who were found to be positive for the virus. Source: Government of Greece

Greek deputy foreign minister of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Turkish aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean

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Greek deputy foreign minister of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Turkish aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean

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All news

New Caspian ferry line Turkmenbashi-Olya might finally launch

Kazakhstan’s ports handled 6.2 mln tonnes of cargo in Jan-Oct’24

DFDS bought Ekol Logistics at the end

Two cocaine shipments, 720 kg and 720 kg, seized in Vlissingen port

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Our Expert Analysis

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