Former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou emphasized the importance of dialogue between Turkey and Greece, and stated that a positive agenda would be more beneficial in bilateral relations instead of the “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” mentality.
Speaking to the To Vima newspaper, Papandreou claimed that Turkey and Greece were very close to solving the continental shelf problem in 2004, “But then the elections came.” he said.
THIRD PARTY EMPOWERMENT
Emphasizing the importance of dialogue in bilateral relations, Papandreou said, “Fear of dialogue creates a feeling of powerlessness. It creates space for third parties to interfere as intermediaries, but as expected with their own interests.” used the phrases.
Stating that it is important to have open communication channels between Turkey and Greece, Papandreou said, “The highest level of communication between the two sides should have been requested before, after the government took office. If (this communication) had existed, perhaps the current level of tension would not exist.” made its assessment.
Papandreou argued that Greece’s extension of territorial waters to 12 miles in the Eastern Mediterranean would only make sense if it was combined with an agreed agreement and initiative, the result of which would reach the International Court of Justice.
“MANY TIMES THEY SUGGESTED GREECE”
Papandreou, who also evaluated the alliances that Greece established with third countries, used the following statements:
“My experience has shown that a positive agenda yields more succinct benefits than the ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ mentality. We saw this very well during the Helsinki period, when they brought forward Greece many times to hide their own desires or invested in the tension between Turkey and Greece to sell weapons systems. In reality, we created and presented a positive agenda for Greece, Turkey and Europe. As a result, today (Southern) Cyprus is a member of the European Union (EU).” (AA)