JOURNALIST: The “Oruc Reis” moved under 10 miles from Kastelorizo. What is Greece’s red line?
N. DENDIAS: Our country’s stance has been expressed repeatedly and requires no interpretation. We have made it absolutely clear to Turkey and to the international community that Greece retains the inalienable right to unilateral extension, at any time, of its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, based on the provisions of the International Law of the Sea, which, let me stress, is an intrinsic part of Customary Law and is thus binding for all countries, including Turkey. This is a right of the Greek state and it will be exercised at a time of the Greek state’s choosing. We have made it equally clear that we intend to defend our national sovereignty and our sovereign rights, and that we will not tolerate any attempt to create a fait accomplis.
JOURNALIST: What will you do if Turkey sends a drill-ship to our continental shelf? Have you ruled out defending our sovereign rights with weapons?
N. DENDIAS: In practice, Turkey has decided to militarise its diplomacy and is exercising an obsolete gunboat diplomacy. At the same time, it is flagrantly violating every rule of international legality and the notion of peaceful coexistence. The Greek government’s position is clear. It is not pursuing the militarisation of the situation or a military clash, but at the same time, both the will and capability of the country to defend its national sovereignty are a given. This is a constitutional duty, and not simply a choice. In this direction, we have taken all of the necessary initiatives on the national and international level, and the appropriate diplomatic channels have been activated to ensure that there is not the slightest doubt that Greece will do whatever is required to defend its sovereignty and its sovereign rights. In this context, I have also proceeded with a number of initiatives towards my key interlocutors. Just this past week, in a letter, I reminded my U.S. counterpart, Mr. Pompeo, of the Greek-U.S. commitment that is set out in the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement on mutual protection of the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries. At the same time, I underscored to the high representative, Mr. Borrell, that Greece retains the right to invoke the EU’s mutual assistance clause.
JOURNALIST: You raised the matter of an arms embargo on Turkey with three member states that continue to arm Turkey. Do you think they are likely to stop?
N. DENDIAS: My letter is a follow-up on a very serious issue that we are dealing with and that I raised with my European counterparts this past August. In fact, the prime minister also raised it at the latest meeting of the European Council. It is makes no sense for our European partners to continue supplying Turkey with military supplies and equipment when Turkey, through its aggressive actions, is threatening the national security of EU member states and peace in the region. Our request is based on specific decisions that have been taken by the member states of the EU, and in my letter, I raise this. Let me remind you that the U.S. has frozen F-35 exports to Turkey and that there is an increasing call in Congress for immediate implementation of an arms embargo. At the same time, Canada stopped exports of weapons systems to Turkey following the events in Nagorno-Karabakh.
JOURNALIST: You requested an inventory of Turkey’s violations of the customs union and, possibly, the suspension of this agreement. How do you respond to the opposition’s accusations of communication posturing?
N. DENDIAS: Turkey continues to violate fundamental criteria for accession to the EU – both political and economic criteria. At the same time, it is flagrantly violating the customs union by using various tricks, which damage the interests of the EU as a whole and of our country in particular. For this reason, I think there is an imperative need – as Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis has pointed out – for the European Commission to consider the issue and propose immediate measures to stop this abusive practice. In addition, I stressed that the Commission should also consider the possibility of suspending the customs union, as a clear message of disapproval for Turkey’s repeated illegal conduct. We are using every legal tool at our disposal. At long last, the EU must make it clear to Turkey that it cannot behave illegally towards an EU member state and towards the Union itself – with the EU, at the same time, rewarding Turkey by tolerating violations of the customs union. So, I cannot understand on what objective grounds this criticism might be based. I would venture to comment that this criticism could be turned against the opposition, with someone asking why the opposition should necessarily comment negatively on the Greek stance on a national issue, even when it is obvious that the opposition’s claims are false. Meanwhile, we are doing everything we can to ensure national unity on foreign policy.
JOURNALIST: You reached an agreement with Albania to appeal to the International Court in The Hague on maritime zones. Could the Albanian side delay the application?
N. DENDIAS: First of all, let me underscore that, as with the agreements with Italy and Egypt, in the case of Albania, Greece is showing, in practice, that it can resolve problems through International Law, constructive dialogue and the principle of peaceful resolution of disputes. In other words, Greece knows how inter-state relations are built and it is following this path in the case of Albania, which is working to become a member of the European family. We agreed with Albania to work together to submit the matter of the delimitation of maritime zones to the International Court in The Hague after completing the process of extension of the two countries’ territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, in accordance with the International Law of the Sea. Given that there is the will, I don’t think the process will be problematic. The resolution of this pending matter will, after all, benefit both countries. Thus, there is every reason to maintain the climate of mutual trust and respect, which both sides stressed during my recent visit, and to strengthen the positive agenda in our bilateral relations. Greece needs to create a strategic relationship with Albania, and I think the Albanian side very much favours such a direction.
JOURNALIST: Are you considering the possibility of appealing to The Hague against the government of Libya and the Turkish-Libyan memorandum?
N. DENDIAS: The so-called Turkish-Libyan memorandum, as we have repeatedly stressed, is illegal because it is not based on the fundamental rules of the International Law of the Sea and it violates the sovereign rights of our country. It is null and void. As such, it cannot produce any legal effect for Greece or for any other state, as has been repeatedly stated by the European Council and allied countries.
October 25, 2020