Dendias: Turkey conducting gunboat diplomacy
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias criticized Turkey's “gunboat diplomacy” on Friday, saying it endangers peace and stability in the southern flank of the EU.
“We discussed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey has been conducting its foreign policy in terms of 19th century’s gunboat diplomacy,” he told journalists after a meeting with his Danish counterpart Jeppe Kofod in Copenhagen.
Dendias said Turkey's activities are “undermining our collective efforts and fueling challenges” on issues such as migration and terrorism.
On this issue, Jeppe said that any Turkish activity “must respect the rules and laws that apply to us in the EU and our territories.” Therefore, “we naturally support Greece and Cyprus on these issues.”
The two officials also discussed the EU path of the Western Balkans, with the Greek minister saying that the Commission’s proposals for revision of the accession process is “a very good step in the right direction.”
Migration was also in the agenda with Dendias reiterating the need for a thorough revision of the asylum procedure.
They also discussed Denmark's achievements in the area of renewable energy sources. The Greek government has declared its intention to eliminate lignite dependence by 2028.
