Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias on Wednesday, speaking at an event in Washington D.C., emphasized that Greece and Israel are responding to common challenges instead of a widely held view in Ankara that they are trying to exclude Turkey.
Dendias spoke and answered questions at a Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) conservation with FDD Executive Director Jonathan Schanzer.
The Greek minister said it would be positive if Turkey participating in the cooperation being advanced by Athens and Jerusalem. But this includes some conditions. There are rules…the rules are not Israel’s, Greece’s, Egypt’s or Türkiye’s rules, they are the rules of the Treaty for the Law of the Sea.” He added that if Turkey adheres to the Law of the Sea “then we can all work together.”
The minister said that the Greek government’s position and his personal one is to continue talks with the neighboring country, because if communications channels remain open, then sometime in the future the neighboring country may realize that its own interests are much closer to what Greece and Israel and EU is doing, instead of visions of a restored Ottoman empire.
Dendias was introduced the by founder and president of Delphi Economic Forum Symeon Tsomokos, and Hellenic American Leadership Council Executive Director Endy Zemenides.
The entire conversation is here:
