Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ statement to journalists upon arrival at the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs[...]

Our Chairmanship-in-Office of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) concludes today here in Thessaloniki.

Our agenda was clear. It is the agenda we have always had: the European perspective, European values, the Rule of Law, human rights, stability and economic development.
It is a great pleasure for us to host the Heads of State and Government.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will have the opportunity to outline Greece's long-established positions and, I believe, we will take another step forward in line with our foreign policy as it develops in all areas.

JOURNALIST: Minister, we've noticed that the Turkish side has been systematically developing a revisionist narrative in recent days with repeated statements at the highest level, spearheaded by the illegal demand for the demilitarization of the islands, and, in fact, linking it to national sovereignty. What will our next steps be, both on the ground and in diplomacy in particular?

N. DENDIAS: I believe the Greek side has already sent a clear signal in this regard. We will not contribute to a sustained escalation with neighbouring Turkey by engaging in insulting statements, in illegal, unlawful, unreasonable claims and allegations that fall outside the framework of International Law. We always seek to resolve all disputes within the framework of International Law, the International Law of the Sea, with the clear priority of protecting the territorial integrity of all states. What is crucial, I believe, for Europe and for the rest of the world, is to realise that revisionisms lead nowhere. This, I believe, is the most important lesson to be drawn from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It is also important to be able to reach an understanding on the actual core of issues, namely the creation of prosperity and cooperation between peoples. Greece, I reiterate, will not fuel this escalation by engaging in a constant exchange of statements. We see things in a different way and follow a different line of reasoning.