Commenting on the Greek-Turkish relations in a major interview with Skai TV on Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the main point of dispute between Greece and Turkey remained the delimitation of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean, adding however, that both countries can still strive to live without tensions.
“It is a positive development that there are no violations,” the Greek premier said, referring to a notable decrease in Turkish violations over the Aegean by the Turkish air force, adding that this resulted from a systematically constructed policy over some time.
Mitsotakis said he believes Turkish leadership has demonstrated a sincere willingness to de-escalate tensions, revealing that he planned to visit Ankara sometime in May, reciprocating Turkish Presidetn Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Athens in the framework of a series of ongoing talks between the two nations.
He also clarified that while the major “thorn” of EEZ delimitation will remain on the agenda of talks, failing to resolve this did not mean the two countries cannot agree to “disagree civilly”. The Greek premier added, however, that thawing relations between Greece and Turkey would not affect Athens’ decision to reinforce its deterrent capability, referring to the first three SH-60 Seahawk helicopters recently received by the armed forces, a modernization of the F-16s fleet, as well as the acquisition of a trio of Belharra frigates and Rafale warplanes.
