Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday addressed recently soured Greek-Turkish relations, in tandem with related issues, such as Athens’ standing right to extend territorial waters to 12 nautical miles and an ambitious undersea power cable project aimed to connect the grids of Cyprus and Israel with mainland Greece.
He also referred to measures to address high energy costs, speaking in his first televised interview since last week’s Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF).
Speaking on the primetime newscast of state broadcaster ERT, Mitsotakis said there was currently no scheduled meeting between himself and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“There is no meeting with Mr. Erdogan scheduled at this time, and it is not certain that our schedules will coincide,” Mitsotakis said, noting that he will travel to California ahead of the annual UN General Assembly meeting in New York City. He nevertheless left open the possibility of a meeting, saying that such meetings can often be arranged at the last minute.
Regarding relations between Athens and Ankara, Mitsotakis stressed that Greece seeks good relations with its neighbor while maintaining open channels of communication.
“We deal with the challenges calmly and with international law on our side. We threaten no one, but we will not accept anyone threatening us,” he reiterated.
Mitsotakis had also stressed the importance of maintaining open channels of communication with Turkey during his TIF news conference.
The prime minister reiterated that Greece’s right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles is guaranteed under international law and can be exercised when the country considers the timing appropriate. He also said that “the best protection of the Greek character of the islands is strengthening the communities on the country’s borders.”
He also signaled developments in the coming period concerning a delay-fraught Greece-Cyprus undersea power interconnection project.
“Turkey must understand that putting up technical obstacles will not benefit it,” he said in reference to Turkish irritation vis-a-vis the project due to the cable being laid in what it claims is its EEZ, adding that Athens was coordinating with France on the project.
Heating oil expected to cost less than 1.75€ per liter
At the same time, a large portion of the interview focused on the energy crisis and high fuel costs. Mitsotakis described the current environment as one of “global economic instability,” while arguing that Greece is now in a more secure position to deal with international turbulence and disruption.
He announced that the government and Greece-based refineries would provide subsidies for heating oil, estimating that the fuel would go on sale at a price below 1.75 euros per liter.
Finally, he said his government is also considering a broader intervention on heating oil, including a possible cap on profit margins.
