The meeting between the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York ended for tomorrow, Tuesday.
HDN Newsroom
"Dialogue without illusions, no retreat from the "red lines", emphasis on the positive agenda", this triptych encapsulates Maximos' aim in anticipation of tomorrow's meeting of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
"Dialogue does not mean that all problems have been solved, that we have agreed on everything. Nor does it mean that our country is naïve about the upcoming discussions," government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis clarified, outlining Greece's positions ahead of the prime minister's one-on-one meeting with the Turkish president.
Regarding the Cyprus problem in particular, Marinakis said that the Greek position is clear. "The Greek position, the position of Cyprus, will not change. These positions are identical. We are united by strong bonds of nation, the strongest ties and we have the same position as the Republic of Cyprus. Therefore, so that there are no misunderstandings, so that there are no misunderstandings, our country will not enter into such a process. We have a clear position on the Cyprus issue. We will never recognize what you read to me," he said when asked about reports that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would ask the international community for recognition of the pseudo-state.
The government spokesman said Athens was willing to enter into a process of discussions, but no issues of "red" lines were negotiated. "Let's make it clear. We have said, many times, that dialogue is something we seek," he underlined, highlighting the results that dialogue has brought on important issues, such as the elimination of violations and cooperation in migration management.
Asked how close Greece and Turkey are to going deeper into the discussion on the delineation of EEZ and continental shelf, Marinakis clarified that "in order to discuss a dispute, both parties must agree on what the agenda is, but we will never agree on anything other than the only difference. which is the definition of EEZ and continental shelf'.
"Whether we are closer or not is assessed by each meeting individually. It is a given that there is a long way to go to get to this point," he said.
"We will definitely focus on the positive agenda. And I repeat, once again, Greece has not lost from this process, nor does it ever intend to discuss sovereignty issues, and only stronger overall has come out of the foreign policy exercised in recent years during the days of Kyriakos Mitsotakis as prime minister of the country," he assured.
He pointed out that "on a diplomatic level, the moves that are being made are made with exactly this goal, a stronger, a stronger Greece." It is in this logic, therefore, that we move, the defense of our national interests and yes, this process of dialogue and the meetings, as you said, with the President of Turkey, aim in this direction, but without even entering into the discussion issues of sovereignty or issues of "red" lines," Marinakis concluded.
Tomorrow's meeting, scheduled for 11:30 (local time – 18:30 Greek time), will be the sixth in a row between the two leaders in 15 months.
