“The improvement of Greek-Turkish relations should not be based solely on tragedies but should be a constant pursuit of both sides. Any new page written should be a page of respect for good neighborly relations and the provisions of International Law”, emphasized Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis in joint statements with the Polish Secretary of State for European Policy, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, following their talks.
In particular, Mr. Varvitsiotis – who congratulated the Greek Disaster Management Special Unit for its assistance in saving human lives in the affected areas of Türkiye – noted that “the new page in Greek-Turkish relations should be turned with respect not only to human suffering, which the Greek people as a whole are demonstrating by providing humanitarian aid and collecting relief material but also with respect for the principles of the European acquis and International Law that should govern relations between Greece and Türkiye”.
In response to a relevant question, the Alternate Minister described Mr. Çavuşoğlu’s statements as positive and stated that the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s leadership is demonstrating a willingness to alter bilateral relations. “We are here to receive these messages and build upon them”, Mr. Varvitsiotis said, adding that the warm hug between the Greek and Turkish Foreign Ministers is of high symbolic value. He went on to say that Turkish reservations about NATO enlargement to Finland and Sweden should be lifted, as this will strengthen the sense of European security. “We want Türkiye, which is currently in the grip of a huge humanitarian and economic disaster, to come closer to the European Union than it has been in previous years, not only economically, but also politically and in terms of values. For us, the European Union is more than just an organization of economic cooperation; it is an organization founded on shared values and respect for common rules of law. And this is what we want Türkiye to embrace as well”, he pointedly said.
On the issue of German reparations, which is also of concern to Poland, the Alternate Minister referred to an indisputable demand of the Greek people and underscored that Greece believes in the restoration of justice. “For us, for the Kyriakos Mitsotakis government, this issue remains on the agenda and is still open. It has been raised in the repeated visits of the German Chancellors to Athens. And we will continue the efforts that our country has been making for nearly three decades now to highlight this issue”, he noted.
Mr. Varvitsiotis also referred to the issue of migration, emphasizing the importance of keeping the channel of political consultations open between Greece and Poland, as both countries share the need to guard and protect European borders. “We are both on the eastern side of the European Union, one in the north and the other in the south, and as countries that have external borders of the Union, we need to deepen our understanding of security challenges and the cultivation of a corridor linking the two countries”, the Alternate Minister commented.
Lastly, Mr. Varvitsiotis highlighted the close ties with Poland, which “we regard as a key European partner”, remarking on the excellent relations that are constantly improving. He recalled Polish firefighters’ assistance in fighting the catastrophic fires in 2021.
On his part, Polish Minister Mularczyk, commenting on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, stated that differences between neighboring countries should be settled through negotiations with respect for International Law and territorial integrity. And he said he was impressed both by the Greek assistance to Türkiye after the earthquake and by Greece’s highly effective steps in decoupling itself from Russian energy resources.