Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis’ interview on REAL FM 97.8 radio station with journalist N. Chatzinikolaou – Main points (Athens, 15.06.2021)

“It is positive to see Turkey come closer to the West,” noted Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis in an interview on REAL FM 97.8 with journalist Nikos Chatzinikolaou on the occasion of the NATO Summit. In fact, as he pointed out, if Turkey returns to this path of rapprochement within the broader Western alliance, then that would be a positive development, as long as it is not only in terms of rhetoric, but also in terms of respect for the principles enshrined in International Law and human rights, which govern relations among countries of the western world.

As regards the meeting of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Summit, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that it has contributed to the creation of a calm climate, adding that further on “it is important to build this relationship in terms of mutual trust, whereas it cannot be built when there are actions in the field which cause insecurity in the Southeastern Mediterranean”. The Alternate Minister also underscored that “the fact that we are discussing today should probably be assessed positively”, however, he made it clear that “Greece has not made concessions or retreat regarding our national rights”.