Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met in Athens on Monday to discuss Greece’s positions, following Mr Cavusoglu’s meeting with conservative Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Mr Dendias reiterated the support of the Mitsotakis government for constructive dialogue with Turkey based on international law.
The exchange was friendly, with Mr Dendias referring in detail to bilateral relations between the EU and Turkey, adding that small steps forward in dialogue had been made.
He underlined, however, that it was unacceptable for Turkey to maintain its casus belli threat if Greece decides to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean, noting that this had been stated by Mr Cavusoglu himself in a recent interview. Mr Dendias also pointed to the Turkish-Libyan memorandum as illegal and non-existent.
READ MORE: FM Dendias in Ankara: Important to avoid provocative actions that undermine relations
Mr Dendias referred at length to the Cyprus issue, noting that that the only framework for the resolution of the Cyprus issue is a bizonal, bicommunal federation as set out in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, said the same sources.
Finally, he underlined the need for the stabilisation of the situation in Libya with the organisation of general elections next December and asked again for the withdrawal of the foreign troops and mercenaries from its territory.
Mr Cavusoglu said calls from countries against the use of S-400 surface-to-air missile systems by Turkey from Russia is “unacceptable”.
“The S-400 will be 100 per cent under our control. We sent our technical specialists [to Russia] and there will be no Russian military experts in Turkey. In this regard, we view the demands by other countries ‘for not using’ [S-400s] as inadmissible,” the TV Channel TRT quoted the Turkish foreign minister as saying during his visit to Athens.
