FM Gerapetritis: 'There is absolutely no question of co-managing the Aegean with Türkiye'

Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis asserted "there is absolutely no question of co-managing the Aegean with Türkiye, and Greece would never even allow such a development," in statements to national broadcaster ERT after meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Athens on Friday.

Speaking to ERT, the Greek FM said there are grounds for agreements with Türkiye such as in economy, education, tourism, migration, and civil protection. "But in the Aegean, there is no chance of joint exploitation," he emphasized. He added that Greece can still talk with Türkiye despite disagreements, and find common ways to promote bilateral relations.

He noted that during his meeting with FM Fidan, they assessed progress since Vilnius, where the Greek and Turkish leaders met in the summer of 2023, and he said the two countries must build on things that unite them. Relations are now good, but decades-old problems cannot be resolved in a short time, he noted.  "Our step-by-step approach is to build relations of good neighborliness," he pointed out, while he added that they discussed the framework that will govern the talks on the delimitation of the continental shelf. "We have a different starting point" from Türkiye, he said.

Regarding standing differences that can be discussed, Gerapetritis said that they are at an absolutely preliminary stage, and there is a difference of opinion. For Greece, there is only one issue for international adjudication, the issue of the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone. For Türkiye there are other differences also, but "we shall remain at the situation we are now." Long-term, the objective of Greece's foreign policy is the delimitation of the continental shelf, he noted.

Concerning the Cyprus issue, the Greek FM welcomed as a positive outcome the restart of talks under the auspices of the United Nations, and emphasized that the solution sought should be within the framework of the UN resolutions for a bizonal and bicommunal federation.

It should be noted that Gerapetritis will brief the Parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on his meeting with FM Fidan.

AMNA