“We have to make a basic choice: if we will continue to be in a state of permanent tension in our relationship with Turkey, or if we will discuss soberly and in a deliberative spirit, so that disagreements will not lead to a new crisis,” Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Saturday in an interview with “Ta Nea” newspaper.
“We must all face this dilemma responsibly and without excuses. Because it concerns the peace and prosperity of our country in the present and the future,” he added.
“Self-confidence, as well as prudence and a correct perception of the facts, are necessary characteristics in a dialogue with complex characteristics and historical burdens,” Gerapetritis stressed.
In this spirit, Greece will proceed to the next steps of the strict schedule regarding the political dialogue on March 11, the confidence-building measures on April 11, the positive agenda on April 15, and, of course, the Prime Minister’s visit to Ankara in May, he added.
“I do not think that long-standing problems will be solved from one moment to the next.
And, of course, I understand that the two countries maintain their basic underlying positions, a fact, after all, that was recorded in the Declaration of Athens. This, however, does not prevent softer rhetoric in principle and less tension,” he emphasized.
