In the context of her interview on “Kokkino Patras,” the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that the decision to be taken at the Summit Meeting in Brussels is of decisive importance. Yesterday, at the General Affairs Council, where we prepared for the Summit, she said, we didn’t just express our solidarity with Cyprus. This time we went an important step further. Ms. Anagnostopoulou stressed that the Summit Meeting will give a mandate to the European Commission and the European External Action Service to determine measures. Regarding the stance of Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan, the Alternate Minister said that his revisionism is being implemented, adding that the Turkish President wants to have a say in the eastern Mediterranean, without bearing in mind international law and mainly the Law of the Sea, and without talking to his neighbours or respecting their sovereign rights. This also creates problems for the European Union, Ms. Anagnostopoulou underscored. Mr. Erdoğan’s provocative conduct impacts not only Cyprus and Greece, but the whole of the EU, and we see the rhetoric he is using regarding the EU. This creates instability. This is why the EU decided, on our level, to take measures, the Alternate Minister commented. The fact that we succeeded in getting unanimous agreement on the text of the conclusions means that measures need to be taken. The country creating tensions has to be persuaded to stop. The unanimous decision taken at the General Affairs Council is very important. The countries of Europe now realise that Turkey has to be made to understand that it cannot violate sovereign rights without any repercussions.
With regard to the plan for the psuedo-state in Cyprus to annex Famagusta, which the Alternate Minister characterized as a flashy PR manoeuvre on the part of Mr. Erdoğan, and with regard to the Turkish opposition’s stance that 16 islands in the Aegean are under occupation, Ms. Anagnostopoulou commented that when nationalist rhetoric starts to blare from one side, it gets louder from all sides as they compete with each other in jingoism.
June 20, 2019