Greece wants to engage in dialogue with Turkey but is not prepared to make concessions concerning its national sovereignty, nor will it demilitarise its islands simply because Turkey wants this, Alternate Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said on SKAI television on Friday.
“This dialogue must, of course, take place with rules, which are none other than respect for international law and the Law of the Sea. We will not have a dialogue as Turkey would like, putting issues on the agenda that no sovereign state can accept under any circumstances,” he added.
He noted that Greece was now better prepared than ever, having increased the level of readiness of its armed forces, which was provoking Turkey’s reaction.
He emphasized that Greece would not back down in its armaments program or its international alliances, nor would it demilitarize its islands simply because Turkey wants this.
The upgrading of the Alexandroupolis port and the stronger U.S. presence there was particularly irksome to Turkey’s president, Varvitsiotis underlined.
