Panagiotopoulos to Akar: Talks futile while threats continue
Turkey will have to stop questioning Greece’s territorial sovereignty in order for the two countries to resume talks on confidence building measures (CBM), Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said on Friday.
Panagiotopoulos was responding to his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar who said the two Aegean neighbors should resolve their disagreements without outside “interference,” while calling for a resumption of talks that aim to build confidence between the two countries.
“It is important that the dispute between Turkey and Greece is resolved without the interference of third parties,” the Turkish defense minister said adding that the two sides must “focus on a positive agenda.”
“On Confidence Building Measures, I told Akar that as long as there is a threat of territorial sovereignty, it renders futile any attempt at communication,” the Greek minister told journalists outside Parliament.
