The Turkish foreign ministry, anxious to shift the focus of the discussion away from Turkey’s illegal behaviour, has dubbed a NATO proposal made on a technical level for reducing the tension that Turkey is itself causing in the Eastern Mediterranean region as “talks,” Greek diplomatic sources said on Friday.
It would be a good thing if it also showed the same enthusiasm for the political stakes, which are the need to terminate Turkish provocative actions and withdraw the Oruc Reis and Turkish vessels from the Greek continental shelf, added the same sources.
Greece is always open to dialogue with Turkey, with international law as the reference framework (and not the attempt to impose faits accomplis), and it is a pity that Turkey stubbornly refuses to understand this, the Greek diplomatic sources concluded.
It is reminded that Turkey today accused Greece of “lying” to avoid dialogue after Athens had denied that talks were being held with Ankara within NATO on de-escalation in the eastern Mediterranean.
“The one who is lying is not the NATO secretary-general but Greece,” said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu at a news conference in Ankara. Greece shows its true colors. […] It’s not in favor of dialogue.”
According to the Turkish foreign minister, Stoltenberg had contacted the two parties and had received the green light from them before announcing that talks will take place. “One who believes one is right does not avoid dialogue. Greece knows it is wrong. Other European countries know this too,” he said. “We are always ready for dialogue but without setting prior conditions.”
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also spoke up against France by accusing the country of “encouraging” Greece and acting in a “hysterical” way.
“We advise France to abandon this useless hysterical attitude. We are part of NATO,” said the Turkish foreign minister. “France should discuss with us how we will work together. Such an attitude would be to the benefit of all.”
