We should not wait for another earthquake to improve our relations: Greek Foreign Minister Dendias
Visiting Greece, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a joint press conference with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias. Calling for diplomacy between Türkiye and Greece to resolve their disputes, Blinken thanked Athens for extending a helping hand to the disaster area. Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said, "We agreed with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu not to wait for another disaster in order to improve our relations."
Greek and American delegations came together at the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue Meeting, which was held for the fourth time this year. Blinken, who made an official visit to Athens, also held bilateral meetings with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias. At the joint press conference held after the meeting, Blinken and Dendias evaluated the content of the meeting and regional developments.
TÜRKİYE THANKS TO GREECE
Reminding that he visited Türkiye before going to Athens, Blinken stated that he met with aid teams and soldiers' families in Türkiye and said, "I saw the ruins, it was heartbreaking." Expressing that Greece sent search and rescue teams to Türkiye after the earthquakes, Blinken said, "I thank you for your strong support at this time of need."
“GREECE AND TÜRKİYE ARE OUR PARTNERS”
Emphasizing that Türkiye and Greece worked together after the earthquakes despite their long-standing differences of opinion, Blinken made the following assessment:
"From the point of view of the USA, the issue is simple. Greece and Türkiye are our partners, our friends. We will continue to work together with them, including NATO, to resolve their disagreements through diplomatic channels and to ensure peace and security in the region."
“RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES IN THE INTEREST OF THE USA”
Pointing out that it is in the interests of both the two countries and the United States to find a solution to their disputes between Greece and Türkiye, Blinken said, "At the same time, these two countries should avoid unilateral steps or negative rhetoric."
UKRAINE-RUSSIA WAR REVIEW
Underlining that Washington and Athens are strategic partners, Blinken emphasized that Greece and the USA also work together in the fields of security and defense.
Stating that the partnership between the two countries continued in the Ukraine-Russia war, Blinken said, "One year has passed since Putin's attack on Ukraine. It is clear that this war is a strategic fiasco."
OPEN DOOR POLICY TO IRAN
Upon a question regarding Iran's nuclear program at the meeting, Blinken stated that the most effective way to resolve the nuclear issue is diplomacy. Stating that Iran did not give a "meaningful" response to the re-negotiation of the nuclear deal with Iran, Blinken said, "However, our door is always open to diplomacy. The progress of the issue depends on what Iran will say, do or not do."
A MESSAGE OF SOLIDARITY WITH TÜRKİYE FROM DENDIAS
Dendias also stated that Greece did not associate the aid it provided to the earthquake victims with foreign policy after the earthquakes in Türkiye, and said that the contact between the two peoples due to the earthquake, improving the atmosphere in the bilateral relations may also have political consequences. Drawing attention to the damage suffered by Türkiye and Syria from earthquakes of unprecedented size, Dendias referred to his visit to the earthquake zone last week.
“WE SHOULD NOT EXPECT ANOTHER DISASTER TO IMPROVE OUR RELATIONS”
Pointing out that he was the first foreign minister of the European Union (EU) country to visit the region after the earthquake, Dendias said, "I had the opportunity to inform my counterparts at the Foreign Ministers' meeting in Brussels yesterday. I asked for help." Stating that the Greek people have collected and will continue to collect tons of humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in Türkiye, Dendias said, "We agreed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mevlut Cavusoglu) not to wait for another disaster to improve our relations."
(AA)
