Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis firmly denied opposition allegations of secret diplomacy in the Greek-Turkish dialogue during a parliamentary session.
Gerapetritis reiterated that during his recent meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the two sides confirmed their disagreement over the major issue of delimiting maritime zones, specifically the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf. However, he stressed that dialogue would continue as it remains the only viable way to maintain calm in the Aegean.
“Indeed, we disagreed, without concessions, without retreats, without compromising our sovereignty. Do you believe we should halt the discussion?” Gerapetritis asked in response to a question from Alexandros Kazamias of Plefsi Eleftherias. He added that despite the disagreements, the dialogue has already yielded positive results in other areas, such as the resumption of talks on the Cyprus issue and improved management of illegal immigrants flows.
“With commitment to international law, with determination and diplomatic capital, we engage in these discussions with security, pride, and confidence, always serving the national interest,” the minister stated.
Addressing criticism that the government is sliding into a broad-spectrum dialogue with Turkey, Gerapetritis said: “We have no fear of such a slide because it will not happen. Greece is at the pinnacle of its diplomatic strength. We remain committed to Greek-Turkish dialogue. If we cannot agree on the main issue, we will ensure that discussions continue in other areas to prevent tensions in our region.”
He concluded, “We can disagree while keeping communication channels open to avoid flare-ups and crises. This is what we are doing, firmly, without compromising sovereignty.”
On the allegations of secret diplomacy, Gerapetritis emphasized, “Reality disproves you. Do not bring up the issue of secret diplomacy again. I don’t think there has ever been such detailed and systematic briefings in the past. Not only does secret diplomacy not exist, but quite the opposite is true.”
