DM Monitoring
ANKARA: “We have agreed to meet in Geneva at the end of this month. We will continue to work together to improve Turkey-Greece relations,” the Turkish foreign minister said.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu also added that Turkey believes that disputes with Greece can be resolved “through constructive dialogue.”
“The only way to solve problems between Turkey and Greece is dialogue as two neighboring countries. We do not need third parties selling us ammunition or forcing us other ways,” Çavuşoğlu said.
In a joint news conference with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias, he also added that faits accomplis and provocative rhetoric should be avoided in relations between the two countries.
The news conference opened with conciliatory remarks from Çavuşoğlu in which he praised “the very positive dialogue” they just held in the Turkish capital.
But Dendias used his opening remarks to rattle off a series of longstanding complaints about Turkey – from its search for natural gas in Eastern Mediterranean to its treatment of the Greek Orthodox minority and the sides’ ongoing dispute about migrants.
“It is in our interests that minorities in both countries live in peace, it will have a positive impact on our relations,” Çavuşoğlu said.
He replied to his Greek counterpart’s accusations with regards to alleged violations of sovereignty and remarks over minorities.
“Turkey does not violate Greek sovereignty, that is unacceptable,” he said.
“Besides, we recognize our Greek minority as ‘Greek Orthodox’ but Greece fails to recognize Turkic Muslims as Turkic Muslims,” Çavuşoğlu added. Referring to the Turkish minority in Western Thrace, Çavuşoğlu further stressed: “If they say they are Turkish, they are Turkish. You have to accept it.”
