Greece says it is open to talks with Turkey as soon as provocations finish By Reuters

ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece needs to have a constructive dialogue with Turkey primarily based on worldwide regulation however its Aegean neighbour should halt its unprecedented escalation of provocations, the Greek international minister mentioned on Sunday.

The 2 nations – North Atlantic Treaty Group (NATO) allies however historic foes – have been at odds for many years over a variety of points, together with the place their continental cabinets begin and finish, overflights within the Aegean Sea and divided Cyprus.

“It’s as much as Turkey to decide on if it would come to such a dialogue or not, however the fundamental ingredient have to be a de-escalation,” Nikos Dendias informed Proto Thema newspaper in an interview.

Final month, the European Union voiced concern over statements by Turkish President Tayip Erdogan accusing Greece, an EU member, of occupying demilitarised islands within the Aegean and saying Turkey was able to “do what is critical” when the time got here.

“The one answerable for a de-escalation is the one inflicting the escalation, which is Turkey,” Dendias mentioned.

He blamed Ankara for elevated provocations with a rhetoric of false and legally baseless claims, “even private insults”.

Turkey has sharply elevated its overflights and violations of Greek airspace, Dendias informed the paper, including that its behaviour appears to be serving a “revisionist narrative” that it promotes constantly.

He mentioned Turkish claims that Greece can’t be an equal interlocutor diplomatically, politically and militarily violates the fundamental rule of international relations – the precept of euality amongst nations.

“It’s an insulting method that ranks numerous nations as kind of equal,” Dendias mentioned.