Interview of Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis in the Spanish newspaper ABC (14.06.2021)

“We want the Mediterranean to be a sea of peace, although our history shows that it has always been a sea of trade, exchange but also conflict. All coastal countries must abide by the same rules, the most important of which is the International Law of the Sea. This is what we urge all our surrounding countries to do and the fact that Turkey does not causes many problems in our bilateral relations”, noted Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, in an interview in the Spanish newspaper ABC with journalist Begoña Castiella, on the occasion of the EU MED Ministerial Meeting that was held in Athens last Friday.

In particular, Mr. Varvitsiotis emphasized that in view of the great challenges that confront the EU, Greece and Spain have come even closer, not only because they are two geographically close countries but also because they face common problems and this was confirmed during the recent meeting between Prime Ministers Mitsotakis and Sánchez. “Neither the Recovery and Resilience Facility nor the green digital certificate could be realized without the cooperation of two powers such as Spain and Greece to form a strong front, in order to put pressure on other European countries for the necessity to adopt these measures”, he added.

On the crucial issue of migration, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs underlined that “before proceeding with the adoption of the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, Europe should tackle the external dimension of migration, concluding agreements with the countries of origin of these migrants for the swift return to their countries. Greece and Spain share the same view on this.”

In view of the European Council meeting on June 24, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that “we hope that our partners will send a clear message to Turkey that we want good neighbourly relations based on mutual respect for our principles and common values.” “Under no circumstances can the EU accept provocative actions aimed at destabilizing the region, as well as actions that threaten the sovereignty of EU member states”, he added.

Asked about the Spanish attitude towards Turkey and the criticism from the Greek public opinion, the Alternate Minister pointed out that “Spain is supplying Turkey with an aircraft carrier, something that changes the rules of the game in the Eastern Mediterranean and is a matter of serious concern for us.”

Full text of the interview:

QUESTION: During their recent meeting in Athens, Mr. Sánchez and Mr. Mitsotakis highlighted the harmony that exists in the bilateral relations between the two countries as regards European issues, from plans for the recovery of the economy to the green digital certificate. Could you mention other issues that you consider important?

ANSWER: We have cooperated with Spain on many levels since its accession to the EEC in 1985. Now, of course, in view of the great challenges that confront the EU, Greece and Spain have come even closer, not only because they are two geographically close countries but also because they face common problems. The processing of agricultural products, for example, was a crucial issue during the past decades, or the challenge of migration that plagues Italy, Spain and Greece in a very similar way, especially since the instrumentalization of the issue, as we recently witnessed in Ceuta. Neither the Recovery and Resilience Facility nor the green digital certificate could be realized without the cooperation of two powers such as Spain and Greece to form a strong front, in order to put pressure to other European countries for the necessity to adopt these measures.

QUESTION: Greece, Spain, Italy and Malta have already stated their positions on the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, which ensures the need to guarantee a balance between solidarity and responsibility. Is there a common position of Greece and Spain on the Dublin Regulation?

ANSWER: The crucial point is that, before we can work out parts of the new Pact that has been proposed, such as the new Screening Regulation, Europe must tackle the external dimension of migration by concluding agreements with the countries of origin of migrants for the swift return to their countries. Greece and Spain share the same view on this.

QUESTION: Will such measures help to maintain the Mediterranean as a sea of peace?

ANSWER: We want the Mediterranean to be a sea of peace, although our history shows that it has always been a sea of trade, exchange but also conflict. All coastal countries must abide by the same rules, the most important of which is the International Law of the Sea. This is what we urge all our surrounding countries to do and the fact that Turkey does not causes many problems in our bilateral relations.

QUESTION: Was Spain punished by Greece over the frigates because of Sánchez’s policy?

ANSWER: The Greek government has clearly stated that this was a specific plan that included the building of 4 frigates, the modernization of four more and the procurement of two additional ships as a transitional solution to meet the needs until the procurement of the new frigates. The Greek government did not wake up suddenly after 10 years of financial crisis and decided that it needed ships and planes just because it wanted to reward or chastise certain friends and partners.

This decision stems from the pressing need created following Turkey’s aggressive actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Greek EEZ. As we saw in 2020, instead of dialogue, diplomacy and international law prevailing, Turkey attempted to lead our relations to conflict, so we were forced to react by announcing a tender for the procurement of frigates for our Navy.

QUESTION: Despite the fact that relations between Greece and Spain are traditionally very good, is there recently a strong criticism coming from a part of Greek public opinion about the Spanish attitude towards Turkey?

ANSWER: It is clear that Greece and Spain have common goals and we have managed all this time to have a very close relationship and cooperation. With regard to our relations with Turkey, it is true that we hope that the Mediterranean countries, and in particular countries such as Spain, with which we share common values as members of NATO, will prioritize the application of the International Law of the Sea by all countries involved, as a basis for resolving our existing bilateral differences. We hope this will be Spain’s message to Turkey. What certainly troubled Greek public opinion and was reflected in the talks between the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs and his Spanish counterpart is that Spain is supplying Turkey with an aircraft carrier, something that is changing the rules of the game in the Eastern Mediterranean and is a matter of serious concern for us.

We hope that in the discussions that will take place in June our partners will send a clear message to Turkey: We want good neighborly relations based on mutual respect for our principles and common values. Under no circumstances can the EU accept provocative actions aimed at destabilizing the region, as well as actions that threaten the sovereignty of EU member states.