Home » World » “You come here and try to blame Turkey” – Greece’s first diplomat in sharp clash in Ankara – World

“You come here and try to blame Turkey” – Greece’s first diplomat in sharp clash in Ankara – World

© Reuters

Greek and Turkish Foreign Ministers Nikos Dendias and Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara

The foreign ministers of Turkey and Greece came into open confrontation at today’s joint press conference in Ankara, which began with hopes of improving relations, but quickly grew into an exchange of sharp accusations from both sides, Reuters reported.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a bid to ease tensions over the past year. It was the first visit by politicians from one country to another since the navy was on the verge of a clash last year.

At first the atmosphere was cordial, but later it got worse. This came when Dendias said violations of Greek sovereignty would be met with sanctions, and Cavusoglu dismissed his comments as “unacceptable”.

“You are coming here and trying to accuse Turkey of sending a message to your country. It is impossible for me to accept that.”


Mevlut Cavusoglu,

Foreign Minister of Turkey

Greece and Turkey, although NATO allies, are at odds on many issues. They have overlapping claims about the size of their continental shelf in the Mediterranean for airspace, energy resources, the ethnic divisions of Cyprus and the status of some islands in the Aegean. A drilling ship sent from Turkey into disputed waters inflamed tensions last summer, but the withdrawal of the Oruch Reis research vessel eased it. The parties resumed negotiations on the maritime dispute after a five-year break.

After offering Greek support for Turkey’s bid to join the European Union and a new agenda for restoring relations, Dendias accused Turkey of repeatedly sending planes over its territory.

“Greece’s position is clear. Turkey has violated international and maritime law in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean,” Dendias said. Cavusoglu denied the allegations, saying Turkey had not violated Greek sovereignty in its exploration and drilling work, and accused Athens of returning migrants to the Aegean.

“When we go into mutual accusations, we have a lot to say. If you want to continue these arguments, tension, you can (and will) do that,” he added.

Despite tensions at the press conference, both sides said they wanted to continue trying to resolve their differences through dialogue. Furthermore, notes “Kathimerini”, Dendias invited Cavusoglu to Athens despite mutual accusations.

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