Prokopis Pavlopoulos: Turkey defiantly disregards International and European Law in our wider region

“A. Exploiting, overtly, the effects of this “fragmentation” in our wider region, due to the dangerous inaction of the International Community and the European Union, Turkey is, once again, making a real demonstration of defiant contempt for International and European Law, directly targeting the National Sovereignty of Greece as well as Cyprus. This becomes more than obvious, if we reflect on Turkey’s very recent attitude regarding:

1. Firstlywith Tayyip Erdoğan’s statements at the UN General Assembly – and with his slightly later behavior “phone” of, a Turkish Cypriot Tatar, even before the G.G. of the UN- where he spoke, unhesitatingly, about “two states” in Martyriki Cyprus. That is, essentially for the partition of Cyprus, which is clearly and unequivocally contrary to both every concept of International Law and the content of a number of Security Council decisions. But also in every sense of European Law, given that the Republic of Cyprus is a full Member State of the European Union and “hard core” of the Eurozone.
2. Secondlywith yesterday’s statements “cyclone” of the government of Turkey in view of the upcoming meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Turkey. According to these statements – which, after all, constitute Turkey’s permanent position, which anyway always “torpedo” from the preamble to any initiation of substantial exploratory contacts – Greece’s position regarding a single difference between it and Turkey cannot be accepted in any way. Namely that of the demarcation of the Island Shelf and the corresponding EEZ in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. On the contrary, there is, allegedly, one “packet” differences, which “touch” even the hard core of the National Sovereignty of Greece. B.C. its Aegial Belt, its borders, the defensive shielding of its Islands, etc.

B. The International Community – and primarily the UN – and the European Union must realize, finally, that Turkey is adopting a more general attitude of taunting and contempt towards them. A behavior that also includes NATO, which tolerates actions that are grossly contrary to key provisions of its Statute. Actions which ultimately push the Alliance to its limits “business” its dissolution.

1. How else can one interpret Turkey’s stance regarding the war and Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine? Where, with only its economic and geostrategic interests in mind, Turkey has changed into an obvious one “allied crutch” of Russia and Putin? And how else can one also interpret the attitude of Turkey, in which NATO unfortunately allows to “steps in two boats” planning, by her own admission, to join the BRICKS? For which other NATO Member State would tolerate such an unthinkable attitude?
2. Faced with this extremely dangerous challenge against them, Greece and Cyprus, under conditions of unity, must practically warn the International Community and the European Union that they will not, for their part, further tolerate the threats of Turkey and the international and European inaction. And they are willing to do it by any legal means. Even with a veto on their part in terms of taking decisions to impose sanctions on other States, as long as the International Community and the European Union continue to refuse to impose similar sanctions against Turkey. And mainly sanctions against it because for fifty whole years it has owned – in provocative, to say the least, a violation of International and European Law – one third of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus.»