JOURNALIST: What’s it like for a politician to be a sort of…permanent Foreign Minister?
N. DENDIAS: Let me point out that a country’s foreign policy is a dynamic process that evolves in an ever-changing international environment. At the same time, it’s no longer limited to geopolitical developments but also extends into new areas. The economy, culture, and environment all highlight new possibilities for mutually beneficial cooperation.
I had the good fortune to assume the position of head of the Greek diplomacy during a critical and hence interesting juncture, both at international and regional levels. At the same time, however, carrying out my responsibilities throughout the government’s tenure has enabled the development and implementation of a coherent plan with a broad geographical horizon, aimed at the continuous expansion and deepening of our alliances and partnerships, as well as the effective response to challenges. Aside from that, of course, permanency does not come with ministerial positions.
JOURNALIST: You recently played a key role in a complex operation to evacuate Greeks and their relatives from Sudan. How difficult and complex was this operation?
N. DENDIAS: As we speak today, we can be happy that we managed to evacuate our Greek and Cypriot fellow citizens from Sudan, with the assistance of our partners and allies.
All this has been a complex exercise on many levels, we would say: Contacts and consultations with my counterparts, our diplomatic Missions in the region, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, foreign Embassies, planning for the deployment of two transport aircraft to Southern Egypt, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Defence.
Greece has extensive experience in handling such situations, having successfully carried out similar evacuation operations in the past. This, along with our excellent relations with countries in the region, contributed to this operation’s success. And once again, let me extend our country’s heartfelt thanks to France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Egypt, and the UAE for their assistance and mediation.
JOURNALIST: Do you fear that in the period between May 21 and July 2, there could be a …hot incident or an accident in the Aegean?
N. DENDIAS: I hope that following the earthquakes in Türkiye and our country’s practical assistance to our neighbor and its people, who have been severely tested, we have moved away from the scenario of a hot incident. From the very first moment after the disaster, Greece has stood by its neighbor’s side, consistently and selflessly. This could not help but have an impact on our relations. The images of the Greek rescuers’ efforts refuted the narrative of a hostile neighbor and created a strong social and political basis for positive diplomacy. Therefore, I believe that the scenario of a hot incident or an accident has been removed as it requires too many preconditions, which are currently not met.
It goes without saying that we are recording fluctuations in Turkish rhetoric, as we always do, keeping track of them, and not ignoring them. It’s interesting that elections in both countries will take place within a short time span and we do not know which government will emerge in Türkiye, but I certainly believe that there are ways to reduce tension and to work on issues of common interest, to move towards finding common ground to resolve the only bilateral dispute we have with Türkiye, namely the delimitation of the EEZ and the continental shelf in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, on the basis of UNCLOS and the principles of International Law – and all this to be done without hurling threats to each other.
As I have previously stated, we are not naive. A responsible foreign policy’s goal is to prevent hot incidents and an effective national defense’s duty is to handle them if the occur. In this regard, over the last four years, we have developed a comprehensive strategic plan that can respond to any aggressive action by Türkiye. We are taking precautions and I believe we will go to the polls safely and smoothly.
JOURNALIST: What are your predictions after the elections in Türkiye and Greece as well? Can we anticipate some form of initiative?
N. DENDIAS: Greece’s position is clear: We have a sole dispute with Türkiye regarding the delimitation of the continental shelf and the EEZ. And we want this dispute to be resolved in a peaceful way, through an honest and constructive dialogue, which will be conducted on the basis of International Law and the International Law of the Sea. That’s also in the neighboring country’s best interest.
We are ready to engage in such a dialogue at any time, provided that there are no provocations from the opposite side that undermine it. And I’d like to underscore at this point that statements and maps that we have seen circulating in our neighboring country in recent days, obviously for election campaign purposes, are not constructive and do not contribute to maintaining the good climate that has developed in our bilateral relations in recent months.
I would, therefore, like to believe that in the coming period the “electoral temptations” will not disrupt this positive climate, which could serve as a springboard for a substantial and sincere dialogue after the elections in both countries.
Of course, this does not mean that we are naive. We are fully aware of the challenges in Greek-Turkish relations, just as we are fully aware that Türkiye does not appear to be abandoning its fixed positions for the time being.