Turkey drifting away from Europe, Dendias says

The conditions for resolving differences with Turkey are not currently in place, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has said, adding that the country is moving further away from Europe.

“Turkey, as a set of principles and values, is drifting away from Europe… instead pursuing a neo-Ottoman agenda,” Dendias told a conference in Cyprus on Saturday.

“[Turkey’s EU] accession process, which Greece has courageously supported in the past, has essentially come to a halt,” Dendias said, adding that a considerable part of the country’s population identifies with European values.

“I am convinced that our disputes with Turkey can be resolved,” Dendias said. “However, I am not unrealistic. I see no such prospect at the present time,” he said.