Athens, 26 November 2020

Teleconference of Chairman of Standing Committee on National Defence and Foreign Affairs of Hellenic Parliament with Ambassador of France

The Chairman of the Standing Committee on National Defence and Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr. Konstantinos Gioulekas, met via teleconference with the Ambassador of France in Greece, Mr. Patrick Maisonnave.

Mr. Gioulekas discussed with the French Ambassador the ongoing Turkish provocations and the destabilizing role of Turkey in a region stretching from Libya to Nagorno-Karabakh. Mr. Gioulekas focused on the blatant violation of rules of International Law and the Law of the Sea, as well as the direct challenging of Greece's sovereign rights by Turkey, which has been issuing illegal NAVTEX on a regular basis and conducting seismographic surveys with the Turkish seismic research vessel Oruc Reis within the Greek continental shelf. He went on to add that Turkey's aggressive behaviour is exasperating the peaceful and peace-loving Greek population. He then referred to the unsuccessful attempts by Turkey at the Greek and European land borders in the Evros region to use refugees as tools to secure benefits for itself from the EU.

The Greek MP noted that Greece is expecting from Europe to show its active solidarity at the next European Summit and to move forward with sanctions against Turkey, so that the Turkish President will realize that he ought to respect the rules and values of the European family, of which, as he claims, he wishes to become a member. Finally, Mr. Gioulekas expressed his condolences to the French Ambassador for the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in France and thanked him for the active support that France has shown in the face of the Turkish provocations. 

Mr. Maisonnave reaffirmed the excellent relations between the two countries and expressed his belief that they will continue to grow and strengthen. He agreed with Mr. Gioulekas on Turkey's aggressive behaviour and added that the French President fully supports the Greek positions regarding sanctions against Turkey and is working continuously in this direction. Summing up, the French Ambassador expressed the hope that the leaders who are reticent vis-à-vis imposing sanctions will change their minds. 

 

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