The message that “from every international contact of the prime minister, the foreign minister, and the country’s officials we should essentially expect a further continuation of efforts to strengthen the country and national positions” was conveyed by Pavlos Marinakis when asked during the political press briefing about the Mitsotakis–Erdogan meeting on Tuesday afternoon.

“The government has chosen to essentially make Greece stronger with policies that produce results. It has chosen dialogue with Turkey, not a confrontational logic of pseudo-patriotism that diminishes Greece, without putting sovereignty issues and red lines on the table,” the government spokesman added.

When asked about the Trump–Erdogan meeting and whether Greece is concerned, Mr. Marinakis replied: “I observe a narrative being built by some from a certain part of the political system that reminds me of elementary school discussions with the logic of ‘whoever says it first,’ which is not in line with matters of foreign policy.”

“Greece does not set its priorities hetero-determined. Trump’s reference to the F-35s is limited to the continuation of relevant talks since Turkey was expelled from the F-35 program six years ago. Six years ago, we were out of both the F-16 and F-35 programs, while our neighbor was in both. Today we have completed the first F-16 upgrade and we are in the F-35 program. We cannot impose arms sales on other countries. Greece has essentially risen higher since 2019,” Mr. Marinakis concluded.