Ankara seeks broader agenda in talks with Athens, Hurriyet reports
Ankara aims to bring the issues of island sovereignty and demilitarization in the eastern Aegean to the negotiating table with Athens, according to a report by Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper, citing diplomatic sources.
The report is viewed as part of Turkey’s efforts to keep these matters in the spotlight and expand the agenda of talks with Greece, which maintains that the only outstanding legal dispute is the delimitation of the continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Turkish diplomatic sources told the newspaper that if no solution is reached, Ankara plans to take all disputes to international jurisdiction as a “package.”
“Ankara seeks a permanent, comprehensive, and fair resolution, in line with international law, addressing disputes over territorial waters, airspace boundaries, undetermined sovereignty of geographic formations, the islands’ demilitarization, and the management of the Flight Information Region (FIR),” the sources were quoted as saying.
Moreover, the same sources said that Greece must stop denying the alleged Turkish national identity of the Muslim minority in Thrace, recognize the community’s elected religious leaders, lift restrictions on educational opportunities, and cease what they describe as the intimidation of the so-called “Turkish minority.”
The Turkish diplomatic sources also called on Greece to reconsider its stance regarding ethnic Turks not covered by the Treaty of Lausanne, specifically those allegedly residing in Thessaloniki, and on the islands of Rhodes and Kos in the southeastern Aegean. They urged the Greek government to take action for these populations based on universal values and in accordance with human and minority rights.
In an interview with Kathimerini on Sunday, Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said he is expected to hold talks in Athens next month on the next steps for possibly moving ahead with negotiations on the EEZ and continental shelf delimitation.
