NEWS

Turkey must demonstrate its commitment to international law, FM says

Turkey must demonstrate its commitment to international law, FM says

Greece is ready to engage in talks with Turkey as long as Turkey proves its commitment to international law, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said Thursday, warning Ankara against a diplomatically-expedient, short-term readjustment of its foreign policy in view of the upcoming European Council on December 10-11.

Dendias made the comments after briefing opposition parties on the recent defense and foreign policy cooperation agreement and the Joint Declaration of Strategic Partnership signed between Greece and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

During a briefing of diplomatic correspondents earlier Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Alexandros Papaioannou said that EU governments ought to adopt a united stand toward Turkey’s destabilizing role in the wider region.

He said that last month’s European Council, which stopped short of imposing sanctions on Turkey, had given Ankara a chance to comply with international law. However, he said, Turkey had squandered that opportunity and “no recent comments can change the image is has developed over the past two months.”

“[Turkey] fueled the tension… leaving Europe with no other options,” he said.

Subscribe to our Newsletters

Enter your information below to receive our weekly newsletters with the latest insights, opinion pieces and current events straight to your inbox.

By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.