"There is no agreement for either a formal or informal suspension of dialogue with Turkiye," Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said in an interview with the newspaper "Parapolitika" published on Saturday. Regardless of the fact that no common ground has yet been found for starting a discussion on the delineation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), he added, it was a strategic choice to continue dialogue as set out in the Athens Declaration of December 7, 2023.
He pointed out that a meeting on Confidence-Building Measures will be held on April 28 in Thessaloniki, while a Greek business delegation will be visiting Istanbul on May 8-9 as part of the Positive Agenda.
“ Structured Greek-Turkish dialogue has produced tangible and measurable results,” he said, citing the resumption of talks on the Cyprus issue under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, the fact that there are no longer mass violations of national airspace, as in the past, the better control of trafficking rings in the Aegean, as well as increases in bilateral trade, and more tourist traffic following the introduction of fast-track visas for Turkish citizens and their families, which this year are also available on two additional islands, Patmos and Samothrace.
The culmination of this dialogue, he stated, was the High-level Cooperation Council, “ which will be held in Ankara at a time when the obligations of the Prime Minister and the Turkish President allow.”
Gerapetritis pointed out that he keeps the channels of communication with his Turkish counterpart open, periodically discussing bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest, in order to preserve a calm climate in relations between the two countries and prevent tensions.
“ Let us not be wilfully blind,” he added, “ preserving a relatively calm climate in relations between Greece and Turkiye for almost two years, without departing from our basic positions, is neither self-evident nor a given. And, in any case, in conditions of international uncertainty and asymmetry it is extremely important.”
Referring to the Maritime Spatial Planning, he noted that Greece is establishing, for the first time, the rules for the organisation and distribution of human activities in marine areas and, at the same time, is mapping the outermost potential limits of the Greek continental shelf and EEZ.
“ Although the map does not constitute a further delimitation of these maritime zones, which under international law are the subject of an agreement between states with adjacent or opposing coasts, it follows the principles of international conventional and customary law of the sea and provides for full effect on the islands,” he said.
As he emphasised, Turkiye’s positions on these issues are known and have been repeatedly expressed in the past. “ We have confidence in the legal position we are expressing. Moreover, we are bound by the Convention on the Law of the Sea that we have signed and ratified, and for this reason it is a permanent national position to resort to the International Court of Justice at The Hague for this specific and only dispute,” he said.
He noted that it was known that Greece was required to send the national spatial planning to the European Commission and “ this planning is not linked to the electrical interconnection between Greece and Cyprus.”
“ Operationally, no individual project can be offset against an overall plan, which is of major importance and, moreover, constitutes an obligation stemming from European Union law,” he said. “ Moreover, the electrical interconnection project does not presuppose the existence of maritime spatial planning, all the more so because the surveying and laying of surface cables at sea is absolutely protected by international law,” he added.
He noted that “ in terms of time, there is no coincidence,” as the “ Maritime Spatial Planning is the product of many months of complex technical work, which was announced on the same day as the completion of the administrative processing of the draft Presidential Decree declaring an EEZ in the Ionian Sea by the Council of State, given that it should include the two interstate agreements defining an EEZ and the extension of territorial waters to Cape Tainaro.”
On the other hand, Gerapetritis said, the electrical interconnection project, “ requires multiple collaborations between the contractor, the various responsible ministries and agencies and will continue at the appropriate time, looking forward to the unhindered progress of the project. To those who systematically question, we respond with actions”.
He emphasised that he had not mentioned a specific date for the resumption of work or for issuing a Navtex for the electrical interconnection project, nor could this have happened because these specific actions are not the exclusive responsibility of the foreign ministry.
Finally, he said that the meeting of the 1st Greece-Egypt High-Level Cooperation Council on May 7, 2025 in Athens, “ is a historic milestone of the political will of the two states to establish a Strategic Partnership, to expand and deepen their bilateral cooperation, with emphasis on the sectors of the economy, energy, migration , education and culture”.
“ In this geopolitically fragile region, Greece and Egypt are pillars of stability,” he underlined, “ Our views converge on issues concerning the implementation of international law, the global challenges of the times and the regional security architecture”.
“ The stability of Egypt is of vital importance to Greece. Athens and Cairo attach particular importance to freedom of navigation. Let us not forget that Egypt borders two states in protracted crisis, Libya and Sudan,” he added. He also highlighted Egypt's crucial role in stemming migration flows to Greece, while noting that an agreement has been reached to establish a legal migration route for the transfer of labour from Egypt and the promotion the flagship Greece-Egypt electricity interconnection project (GREGY Interconnector), which will transport clean electricity from Egypt to Europe, via Greece, contributing to the energy security of the continent and reinforcing Greece's role as an energy hub in the wider region.
“ It is, above all, a model agreement for the harmonious coexistence of neighbouring peoples and diplomatic convergence, with enormous added value for our country,” he concluded.