JOURNALIST: Thank you for being with us tonight on a significant yet difficult day.
G. GERAPETRITIS: Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Moutsios. We always choose public television to inform on every major meeting regarding our national issues.
JOURNALIST: Let’s move on now to the important meeting you had with Mr. Fidan. Could you make a first assessment of this visit, which had created a lot of expectations?
G. GERAPETRITIS: I think we had the opportunity to assess the progress that has been made regarding Greek-Turkish relations. It is a journey that started in Vilnius, Lithuania, 16 months ago, when the leaders of Greece and Türkiye decided, on the one hand, to initiate a structured dialogue, based on pillars and very specific timelines, with policies that could ensure better neighborly relations between the two countries. On the other hand, it is essential to build on the elements that unite us, namely on a positive agenda of mutually beneficial measures. I believe there has already been significant progress. At the moment, our relations are good. Nevertheless, today we both recognized and accepted, also in our joint press statements, that decades-old issues cannot be resolved in such a short time. We all understand the complexity of the issues. Therefore, we adopt a step-by-step approach, to build good neighborly relations on a stable and solid basis. For the first time, my Turkish counterpart and I had the opportunity to discuss the framework for our future discussion regarding the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone. It is an issue, which causes multiple tensions. We have noted that our starting points differ and that there is a considerable distance in terms of the perceived scope of the discussions. We had an undoubtedly honest discussion. We agreed to continue the dialogue later to see if we could establish a framework for our discussion. For the time being, it is important to maintain and strengthen our good relations, and to develop channels that will prevent the existing tensions from escalating into crises. I believe there has been significant progress on that level, and it is crucial to preserve it.
JOURNALIST: Minister, I would like to focus on the convergence you mentioned regarding the continental shelf. What makes you believe and hope that there may be a convergence eventually, at a future meeting?
G. GERAPETRITIS: First of all, I would like to clarify that we are at an absolutely preliminary stage. We have not even touched upon the substance of the discussion, namely the actual delimitation. Our discussion was limited to ascertaining whether the conditions for starting the discussion are met. It is evident that there is a divergence of views. This divergence is related to the fact that, for us, there is one and only dispute that can be discussed and brought before international jurisdiction: the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone. For Türkiye, there are other disputes as well. Greece’s position on that issue is very clear. We are not going to deviate from it unless there is convergence regarding the framework. Things will remain unchanged. After all, we all recognize the added value of being able to achieve this delimitation at some point. This has been, after all, a long-standing objective of Greek foreign policy. We understand that long-term peace is ensured when the problems that generate and reproduce tensions are resolved. And this is, undoubtedly, the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone between the two countries.
JOURNALIST: However, Minister, the phrase “kazan-kazan” you heard from Mr. Fidan has been interpreted by many as an appeal for joint exploitation of the Aegean Sea. What is your response?
G. GERAPETRITIS: There is absolutely no joint exploitation of the Aegean Sea. We all understand that our position would never allow for such an approach. We already have a series of mutually beneficial agreements, and even more will eventually be signed, relating to the economy, trade, tourism, culture. There are many potential areas of coordination and cooperation. We share the problem of illegal migration and trafficking networks, which should be tackled. We have the great challenge of the climate crisis and civil protection. We can have beneficial agreements for both our countries and people in some areas. There is absolutely no possibility of joint exploitation of the Aegean Sea. I will continue to stress that, whatever disagreements we have, which should be addressed in a respectful way, it is important to ensure that we can, nevertheless, discuss the problems and identify common ground, to advance our bilateral relations as much as possible.
JOURNALIST: Let’s now move to the other crucial issue, namely the Cyprus Issue. It seems that there is a remarkable divergence of views on that as well. Do you believe that this undermines the efforts to resume talks between the two sides?
G. GERAPETRITIS: I would like, first of all, to point out that there have been considerable developments on the Cyprus Issue. The resumption of the talks, with the informal meeting of October 15th between the two leaders, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, and their subsequent, direct communication, is, I believe, a positive development.
We hope that further steps will follow towards resuming this dialogue. It is evident that we should move towards a just and viable solution, exclusively within the framework of the UN Security Council Resolutions for a Bi-zonal Bi-communal Federation, which is precisely what Greece, in coordination with the Republic of Cyprus, firmly supports. I would like to emphasize that a united Cyprus is important not only in order to promote its citizens’ prosperity. The reunification of the island would also constitute a universal symbol. Regardless of our different positions with Türkiye on this issue, the reality is that dialogue could only prove beneficial.
JOURNALIST: Thank you very much, Minister, for this opportunity to talk about very important issues concerning the relations between the two countries.
G. GERAPETRITIS: Thank you very much. On Tuesday I will have the opportunity to brief the Greek Parliament’s Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs. Our fundamental principle is that the Greek people should always be informed on all developments concerning our national issues.
JOURNALIST: Thank you very much.
November 8, 2024