Turkey is a regional troublemaker, Greek PM says

Mitsotakis said the conversion of Hagia Sophia hurt the Greeks and the rest of the world

“Europe must draw up a specific sanctions list against a country that acts as a regional troublemaker. Greece and Cyprus never turned down a fruitful dialogue, but on the principle of good neighbourliness without underlying threats of violence,” said Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a day after the meeting of European foreign ministers.

Referring to the decision on Hagia Sophia, the Prime Minister dubbed it precedented and petty, stressing that with this decision Turkey chose to severe ties with the Western world and its values.

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Mr. Mitsotakis said Turkey’s rhetoric and actions proved it was operating outside the framework of international law. “They openly violate the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus and turn against Europe”, he said.

Commenting again about the decision to make Hagia Sophia a mosque, the Greek Prime Minister noted that “it hurts us as Greek Orthodox Christians but also as citizens of the world.”

“It is not even a Euro-Turkish issue but a global one. History teaches that the heritage of the world cannot become a tug-of-war between states and that monuments are ultimately not humiliated, but those who do not respect them are humiliated.”