Greek Foreign Minister gives warm messages towards Türkiye

Foreign Minister Georgios Gerapetritis, who has been giving warm messages towards Türkiye since the day he took office, said: "I want my children to live in a region where fingers are not on the trigger."

Speaking at the "Delphi Economic Forum" event, Gerapetritis, while talking about Turkish-Greek relations, said his goal: "I want my children to live in a region where fingers are not on the trigger. I want to entrust them with a quiet neighbourhood."

"DIRECT COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT"
Stating that the issues between the two countries have been going on for years and that it would be naive to expect them to be resolved in one day, Gerapetritis noted that no change should be expected in the basic positions of the parties on these issues. "This is what I have been saying since the first day I took office: You cannot avoid tensions. The important thing is that these tensions do not turn into crises. Compared to the previous years, we were able to defuse the tensions that emerged in the last year by talking to Türkiye at the highest level without turning into a crisis." Gerapetritis emphasised the importance of keeping direct communication channels open between the two countries.

GREEK THESES REPEATED
Gerapetritis said: "I will never use rhetoric that is out of proportion to the facts. It would be very easy for me to use my Foreign Ministry portfolio for my own benefit. The easiest thing is to be popular on national issues. I will not do that, I want my country to be profitable, not popular."

The Greek Foreign Minister also said:

"We should not further dramatise the issues between us and Turkey, the most important of which is the delimitation of the continental shelf and economic exclusive zone. For us, this is the only dispute that can be referred to international jurisdiction."