Gerapetritis raises Kasos issue with Fidan
Foreign Ministers George Gerapetritis raised the issue, among others, of Ankara’s reactions to the investigations conducted by the special Italian-flagged ship Ievoli Relume south of Kasos for the electrical interconnection project between Greece and Cyprus during a bilateral meeting on Thursday in Brussels with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and the informal working lunch of EU foreign ministers.
For his part, Fidan made clear that Turkey remains firm in its positions, particularly on the Cyprus issue.
According to Greek diplomatic sources, Gerapetritis raised the Kasos issue in the broader context of the need for Turkey to respect international law and the law of the sea. During the working lunch he said that Greece encourages Turkey’s European perspective, which can be mutually beneficial for both the EU and Turkey, provided, of course, that it respects the European acquis and international law in its entirety, as well as the sovereignty and sovereign rights of all EU member-states.
“I consider the presence, after five years, of the Turkish foreign minister in the informal meeting crucial. We will have the opportunity to discuss Euro-Turkish relations. Greece is in principle in favor of Turkey’s European course,” Gerapetritis stressed in his statements before the meeting.
Regarding the Cyprus issue upon which the progress of EU-Turkey relations hinge, the same sources stated that the Greek FM emphasized the need to find a solution within the parameters of UN Security Council resolutions and urged Ankara to explore all options in order to resume talks under UN auspices. However, Fidan appeared unmoved in his speech reflecting Turkey’s firm positions on the Cyprus problem.
Reports also noted nonetheless that Gerapetritis said that Greece and Turkey, despite the fundamental differences between them, cooperate on positive agenda issues and that it is important to maintain open channels of communication to prevent crises.
