ND MP calls for special relationship with Turkey
New Democracy MP and former foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis has proposed that the European Union establish a “special partnership” with Turkey based on the precondition that Ankara accepts the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in The Hague with the aim of reaching a settlement on the issues of continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with Greece.
Speaking Monday during an event organized by the Circle of Ideas for National Reconstruction, a think-tank founded by former deputy prime minister Evangelos Venizelos, Bakoyannis said that Greece must delineate its EEZ with Italy, Albania and Egypt.
“We can stick with the status quo; this was the policy foundation at the foreign ministry all these years. I do not believe in this,” she said.
Bakoyannis, a conservative party heavyweight and sister of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, backed the government’s policy of seeking to diplomatically isolate Turkey following the signing of the contentious maritime boundaries pact with Libya’s internationally-recognized government last month.
Speaking of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bakoyannis said that “his character has changed in recent years,” particularly after the botched coup attempt in 2016, adding however that “he is a man who means what he says.”
Bakoyannis also sided in favor of extending the duration of military service in Greece, currently 9-12 months.
