Mitsotakis evaluated possible bilateral relations after Türkiye elections

Answering journalist Peter Spiegel's questions at the 8th Delfi Economic Forum held in Greece this year, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis answered Spiegel's question about "the shape Turkish-Greek relations could take if Mitsotakis and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan win the elections in their countries". He referred to the tension between Türkiye and Greece during his one-year mandate.

CRITIZED THE 'BLUE HOMELAND' POLICIES

Drawing attention to Türkiye's "Blue Homeland" policy, Mitsotakis claimed that Türkiye makes aggressive statements from time to time, and described Türkiye's agreement to limit maritime jurisdiction areas with Libya as "ridiculous". Claiming that Türkiye used the immigration problem as a tool in March 2020, Mitsotakis also reminded of the high tension between the two countries in the summer of 2020.

'TÜRKİYE SHOULD MAKE A STRATEGIC DECISION AFTER THE ELECTION'

Claiming that Türkiye has developed an "opposite" relationship not only to Greece but also to Europe and the US, Mitsotakis said, "I think Türkiye should take a big strategic decision after the elections. Does it want to get closer to Greece again and try to solve the Cyprus problem? Is it really in its own interest to act as a reliable NATO member, to get closer to the West, or to continue pursuing a foreign policy of its own close to China and Russia? At the end of the day, this will determine the state of Türkiye-Greece relations. That will determine what we can't do," he said.

MİTSOTAKİS: TÜRKİYE MUST CHANGE ITS POLICY

Mitsotakis, claiming that the Turkish economy is experiencing major problems, argued that Türkiye's rapprochement (with Greece) would provide a win-win result in which both sides would benefit in terms of both Turkish-Greek relations and the solution of the Cyprus problem. Mitsotakis claimed that "Türkiye's revisionist policy" had to change for this to happen. Referring to the map of Türkiye in the video released by the AK Party on the occasion of April 23, Mitsotakis said, "I understand that (President) Erdogan should run an election campaign. We saw a map that was part of an election campaign. Half of the Eastern (Aegean) islands were shown in red. All this is helpful. It isn't happening." he said.

(AA)