Gerapetritis does not rule out Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting, slams Turkey ambivalence on Ukraine
State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis on Friday did not rule out a meeting between the leaders of Greece and Turkey, while criticizing Ankara’s reaction to the Ukraine crisis.
“We must maintain open channels of communication with Turkey. A meeting between the two countries’ leaders is necessary,” he said of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Geography ties us together,” he said.
Furthermore, Gerapetritis described Turkey’s approach to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “ambivalent.”
“Turkey has sought to balance between its own political and diplomatic interests and the policy of the West, which is the imposition of severe sanctions [against Russia]. It is not the right attitude, but it is up to Turkey to decide,” he said.
“Turkey’s diplomatic status has not been upgraded,” he said.
Turkey, a NATO member that shares borders with Ukraine as well as Russia, has criticized the invasion as unacceptable, but has steered clear of the harsh rhetoric of other members of the alliance.
