Greek National Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos visited earthquake-stricken areas in Turkey on Tuesday, after an invitation by his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar.
At the country’s Disaster & Crisis Coordination & Management Center in Antakya (Antioch), Akar briefed the Greek minister on latest developments and the current situation. The two ministers then flew over disaster areas on a helicopter and visited a hospital and temporary accommodations housing people who lost their homes in the February 6 earthquakes.
“I observed the magnitude of the destruction, but I also observed the great effort to rebuild the area,” Panagiotopoulos said.
Some of these extreme disasters occur partly due to climate change, noted Panagiotopoulos, but they also comprise “a new type of security challenge that will concern us all, and we will have to find ways to deal with them because they will surely come, they will hit countries and our peoples, and they should be addressed, and we should work on it, maybe jointly as well.”
Speaking at a joint press conference, Akar thanked his counterpart for the support provided by Greece in the very first days of the Feb. 6 earthquakes. The Greek government was among the first to send emergency teams to southern Turkey, the minister recalled.
Touching upon the long-standing disputes between Ankara and Athens, Akar said the two neighbors must resolve these problems within international law and by peaceful means.
“I believe with all my heart that Turkey and Greece can solve these problems by peaceful means. As our neighboring countries, our problems and our friendship are multidimensional. Our wish is for the doors of dialogue to open without waiting for a new disaster,” Akar stated.
