ANA-MPA.
Turkey’s attitude destabilizes all the countries in the region as well in Europe, the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson Alexandros Papaioannou told diplomatic correspondents in an online briefing held on Thursday.
Consequently, this issue becomes a concern for all countries in the EU bloc, he added. Besides Turkey’s illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the significance of those to Greece and Cyprus, he noted, “the rest of its illegal actions in Libya, Caucasus, Syria and elsewhere should all be understood as such by all Europeans,” stressed Papaioannou.
Another key point he raised was that the European Council has so far given Turkey ample time, since its October summit, to return to comply with International Law. Additionally, the EU then chose to not impose measures and sanctions to Turkey, which Turkey disregarded. In fact, “Turkey pursued the polar opposite,” by creating regional tensions, leaving the EU with no other options, he noted.
Regarding the US President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee Antony Blinken as the new Secretary of State, Papaioannou said Blinken is well-versed in Europe and Greece’s immediate region, and called this “a positive development.” Greece expects the US to have “a greater presence in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he pointed out.
