A violent verbal clash between the Turkish and Greek foreign ministers on Thursday, who publicly revealed their differences on various subjects to the press in Ankara, a scandal that is not good for the continuation of their dialogue.
Turkish Mevlut Cavusoglu and Greek Nikos Dendias clashed in front of cameras about sea borders, migrants and the treatment of minorities at a press conference following a visit by the Greek minister to Ankara to consolidate the dialogue initiated by the two countries to resolve their numerous disputes.
“If you make such grave allegations against my country and my people, I have an obligation to respond,” grumbled Mr Cavusoglu, visibly annoyed by what his Greek counterpart said.
In particular, Mr Dendias criticized the Turkish activities in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean and what he saw as the incorrect application by Ankara of an agreement on migrants with the European Union. “Turkey shouldn̵
“The position of Greece is clear and this is not the first time you have heard it: Turkey has violated international law and the (international) maritime convention in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, and the rights of even the rulers of Greece, Turkey , broadcast 400 flights over Greek soil, ”added Dendias, who was also received by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Thursday.
Regarding migrants, Mr Cavusoglu defended himself by alleging that Turkey had behaved “decently” and accused Athens of “rejecting 80,000 people” and “throwing others into the sea” over the past four years.
“We have never used the issue of migrants against the EU or Greece,” he said.
The EU and Turkey signed a five-year agreement in March 2016 to stop the flow of migrants into the EU. Ankara would like the renewal of this agreement, which has made it possible to significantly reduce the migration of migrants from Turkey to Europe in return for substantial financial support.
However, Brussels and Athens criticize the fact that Ankara has not taken back migrants in an irregular situation on the Greek islands since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
“About the Muslim minority: it is the Lausanne Treaty (of 1923) that provides (that it is actually a Muslim minority), and this treaty is in force,” replied Mr Dendias, who met in Istanbul on Wednesday the Patriarch of Constantinople, a major figure in the Orthodox world.
Tensions between the two neighboring countries and members of NATO with historically sensitive ties have worsened in recent years due to gas drilling by Turkey in Greek waters in the eastern Mediterranean.
Their relations are also poisoned by mutual complaints about the treatment of Muslim minorities in Greece and Orthodox minorities in Turkey, as well as the management of migratory flows at the land and sea borders of the two countries.
In this regard, Greek and Turkish officials resumed “exploratory talks” earlier this year to resolve some of their differences. However, no progress was recorded in these discussions.
Source : Turkish Sources
