Envoy says Germany ‘not neutral’ in Greek-Turkish dispute
Germany “is not neutral” in the dispute between Athens and Ankara over sovereignty issues in the eastern Mediterranean but is “committed to EU solidarity,” the country’s Ambassador to Greece, Ernst Reichel said on Friday, commenting on an article in Kathimerini.
The newspaper's story reported on the ambassador’s briefing of the European Parliament’s Special Standing Committee on European Affairs, during which it was mentioned that Reichel "defended Berlin’s more neutral stance towards Ankara" at this stage.
It is clear, he said, that Germany cannot address Turkey with the utmost harshness because it would destroy its ability to mediate.
Reichel also said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made it her personal business to prevent military conflict between the two neighbors and for them to achieve a peaceful demarcation of their maritime zones.
