Greece ‘afraid’ of exploratory talks, Akar says

One day after Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez raised the issue of renegotiating the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, which set out the modern borders between Greece and Turkey, Foreign Minister Hulusi Akar on Tuesday said Greece was “afraid” of exploratory talks between the two sides.

Referring to the prospect of exploratory contacts and the delineation of maritime zones, Akar said: “We say ‘yes’ to all that, but the Greek side is not willing [to engage in talks]. Why? Because they are reluctant, they are afraid. Why are they afraid? Because they are not right. We are right, and this is why we are [too] strong for them.”

Akar also blamed Greece for the rise of tensions in the area.

“Why are they doing this? Because they do not rely on themselves, but on those [standing] behind them,” he said in reference to the country’s EU partners.

“But they should not invest so much hope in them,” he added.