Greece pushing for united EU front on Turkey

Greece is promoting measures to de-escalate tension in the Aegean while at the same time trying to forge a common European front against Turkey’s challenges to international law, Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos said ahead of a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday.

“Our country has traditionally pursued a foreign policy that is based on respect for international law. This obviously does not suggest yieldingness. We are steadily warding off any revisionist attempt and we insist on resolving differences through dialogue,” Katrougalos said in an article published in Greek Ta Nea daily in which he said that the escalation of Turkey’s provocations “are not a sign of strength but of weakness.”

Katrougalos said Greece and Cyprus are seeking to prompt the EU into toughening its line on Turkish drilling inside the Mediterranean island’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“There has to be confirmation that Cyprus’ sovereign rights in its EEZ are also EU sovereign rights,” he said.

At the same time, Katrougalos said, Athens is seeking to ease bilateral tension by continuing talks with Ankara on reviving confidence building measures (CBMs).