Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Dendias’ statement to journalists during his visit to Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan, 11.01.2023)

Today, I had the great pleasure of making the first visit to Côte d’Ivoire as Greek Foreign Minister. I met with the President of the country and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. We had extensive talks; Côte d’Ivoire is particularly important to Greece. First of all, it was one of the first countries to ratify the International Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS, and it is a member of the Group of Friends of UNCLOS, so there is a broad scope for cooperation with us. It is also a country that has unequivocally condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it believes in International Law, it believes in territorial integrity, and in the equality and independence of all States.

Aside from that, we are also interested in security in the wider region, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea, which borders Côte d’Ivoire and through which a large part of Greek shipping passes, as well as the security situation in the Sahel region. In general, we are looking forward to deepening relations with Côte d’Ivoire, which, I reiterate, is one of the most significant countries in West Africa.

Question: Minister, Turkey has even instrumentalised fishing rights in the Aegean Sea. What is it that led you to address the EU today and denounce this stance?

Minister: What I described in my letter to Josep Borrell is a real situation.  And because the issue of fishing rights is not only a national issue, it is primarily a European issue, I felt that we have an obligation to inform the European Union about a practice that not only causes problems in Greece but also, I believe, harms the European environment as a whole and violates the European acquis. This letter, I believe, can serve as a signal to Turkey that tolerance for certain things is coming to an end.