The delimitation of maritime borders is the only difference that Greece has with Turkiye, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexandra Papadopoulou clarified during a discussion at the think tank ‘The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)’ in Washington.
During the panel discussion on Monday, Papadopoulou pointed out that the Greek prime minister has clearly indicated Greece’s readiness to refer the specific dispute to the International Court of Justice at The Hague in the event that no agreement can be reached through talks.
“For Greece there is only one difference, the delimitation of maritime borders. I don’t think anybody on this earth in [their] right mind expects that any Greek will start discussing about sovereignty over the Greek islands or discussing about international agreements that have been in place for a hundred years and are the cornerstone of stability in the entire Eastern Mediterranean region,” she noted.
Recognising the difficulties existing in the bilateral relationship with Turkiye, Papadopoulou mentioned that the differences that separate the two countries are not going to be resolved overnight. However, she pointed out that until a solution is reached, Greece will make every effort to ensure that relations with Turkiye remain calm.
“In the meanwhile, we try to do everything in our power to keep calm waters in the relationship and also try to deal with everyday issues that arise between neighbours. Some of them are more important, some of them are less important. But everything contributes to some better atmospherics in the relationship,” she said.
