Statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, following his meetings with Israel’s Prime Minister, B. Netanyahu, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, G. Ashkenazi (13 August 2020)

Today I had the pleasure of being received by the Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, and of conveying to him a message from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. I also had extensive talks with my colleague and friend Gabi Ashkenazi.

I thus had the opportunity to thank the Israeli side for its clear position on the issue of Turkey’s violations of international legality in the Eastern Mediterranean.

I made clear to my Israeli interlocutors that Turkey’s violations of international legality constitute a risk for all countries in the region and jeopardise security and stability.

We also had the opportunity to talk about energy security issues and the East Med pipeline.

We also talked about the economic cooperation between our countries and the opportunities opening up both bilaterally and multilaterally between Greece, Israel, Cyprus, the United States, and other countries in the region.

Greece and Israel are deepening and developing their relations.

Thirty years after recognition by Konstantinos Mitsotakis and the establishment of full diplomatic relations, Greek-Israeli relations are better than ever before.