Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias on Wednesday repeated that the country will in no way negotiate sovereign rights with neighboring Turkey, speaking during a reply to a tabled question by PASOK party president Nikos Androulakis regarding progress over an ambitious Israel-Cyprus-Greece undersea power cable.

The latter project has been bitterly criticized by Turkey as allegedly “violating” its exclusive economic zone in the east Mediterranean, an assertion dismissed by all sides involved.

“The government has provided a clear answer to the other side of the Aegean…I can assure you that there is not the slightest possibility that our armed forces will not perform their constitutional duty to protect national sovereignty and sovereign rights. We have no right to negotiate over these,” Dendias said from the legislature’s podium.

Greek president visits Cyprus

In a related development, the newly sworn-in president of the republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas, arrived in Cyprus the same day for his first official visit abroad since becoming Greece’s head of state.

The visit follows an invitation by Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides.

On Thursday, following several meetings with the island republic’s leadership, Tasoulas will visit a buffer zone in Nicosia separating the free areas from the Turkish-occupied one-third of Cyprus, accompanied by Christodoulides. He’ll also tour the military base of Greek forces on the island (ELDYK) and a memorial graveyard for colonial resistance fighters, where he will lay a wreath.

European countries’ flags and the flag of Europe fly in front of the ‘Louise Weiss Building’, seat of the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, France, 10 May 2016. The building was named after French writer, feminist and European politician Louise Weiss (1893-1983). EPA/PATRICK SEEGER

Negative Europarliament report for Turkey’s accession talks

The comments by Dendias and Tasoulas’ visit come on the same day as Turkey’s long-standing EU aspirations received yet another setback, after a majority of European Parliament deputies adopted a mostly negative report, with 367 votes in favor, 74 against and 188 abstentions.

Among others, the highlights of the report cite an ongoing deterioration of democratic standards in Turkey (called Türkiye), a harsh crackdown on the recent peaceful mass protests, the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, as well as criticism of what’s termed as an “illegal” recent visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s to the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus.

The latter references are of particular interest to Nicosia and Athens.

In summing up the report, the Europarliament report noted that “…Türkiye’s geopolitical and strategic importance cannot make up for the government’s democratic backsliding, and EU membership criteria are not up for negotiation.”

Conversely, the report acknowledges Turkey’s “strategic and geopolitical importance, and its increasing presence and influence in areas critical for international security, such as the Black Sea region, Ukraine and the Middle East.”

The entire report is here: