The Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke about the rapid developments in the Middle East and the role of Greece George Gerapetrite.
Mr Gerapetritis, speaking to Action24, spoke of the grim reality today in which the two parties are clashing, stressing that there should be restraint and a complete cessation of hostilities, to end this nightmare.
“We take a position in favor of International Law, we recognize Israel’s right to self-defense and security,” noted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, adding that Israel is an ally and that the Arab world is close to us.
“We take a position of principle, we are talking to all parties, we are reliable in what we say”, he stated and added that “vital interests are at stake, we are in favor of legal defense in favor of International Law, which is proportional and does not lead to permanent escalation.”
Furthermore, Gerapetritis said that “we respect international commitments, Greece will not actively engage in war” in the Middle East, while also noting that a complete plan for the removal of citizens is needed, although, as he said we have even a plan to block the airspace.
For immigration
Referring to immigration, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted that the consequences of the escalation throughout the region will be disastrous, referring to energy, the increase in migratory flows and a humanitarian crisis.
“There is great concern about the escalation of migratory flows, Lebanon alone hosts millions of migrants from Syria and Palestine,” he added, ensuring that all necessary measures were taken and that with Turkey there has been a significant improvement in the last 15 months in everything concerns arrests of drug traffickers.
At the same time, Giorgos Gerapetritis recalled Greece’s strict doctrine and border surveillance.
For Greek-Turkish
Later, Gerapetritis referred to the Greek-Turkish, saying that “it is obvious that over the years Turkey’s maximalist rhetoric has increased with the escalation of attacks. There is the illegal memorandum between Turkey and Libya, the way to manage them is not It’s excommunicate or go to war. The answer is to sit down and talk.”
Regarding the Blue Homeland, he said that there is no sovereign right in the Aegean and that Greece is not included in the books.
For ZEE
Regarding the issue of the ZEE, the Minister of Foreign Affairs highlighted that the question is whether we want to move forward in the discussion, to see if there is common ground. “If the major issue of the continental shelf and the delimitation of the EEZ is not resolved, there will always be problems. The conditions are ripe.”
The main thing is that the discussion is structured and elaborated down to the last line, he continued, highlighting that we do not back down from the demands that our country carries.
“We are facing a fork in the road: either we choose to remain in this regime, that is, to be able to have as stable a position as possible that avoids shocks and turbulence, or we will take a step forward and engage in the debate that concerns the definition of maritime zones”, he concluded.