Yerapetritis: A historic opportunity to resolve issues with Türkiye
Speaking at the 88th International Thessaloniki Fair, Yerapetritis highlighted the importance of seizing this moment to address key challenges.
Yerapetritis pointed out that Greece's two primary foreign policy concerns are the Cyprus issue and Greek-Turkish relations. Since taking office, he has committed to actively pursuing solutions for these matters. He noted that while the Cyprus issue had been stagnant a year ago, it is now a priority for the United Nations.
Regarding Greek-Turkish relations, Yerapetritis acknowledged that significant progress had been made during his 14 months in office, with both countries now in a position to engage in dialogue. He stressed that while not all issues can be easily resolved, open discussions can lead to outcomes.
He underscored that resolving disputes with Turkey would only be possible once the delineation of maritime zones, specifically the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), is fully established. Yerapetritis reiterated that the current window of opportunity for resolving these major issues is rare and should be capitalized upon.
When asked about the potential impact of the recent rapprochement between Türkiyr and Egypt on Greece's relationship with Egypt, Yerapetritis reassured that there is no threat, stating, "I want all of our allies and strategic partners to have good relations with our neighbors and Turkey. However, you can only have a strategic relationship with one partner, and we have that with Egypt."
