Greek PM rules out ‘full-package solution’ with Turkey

Greece: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated on Wednesday that Greece rejects the idea of negotiating an all-encompassing settlement with Turkey, clarifying that Athens only acknowledges a single dispute with Ankara: the delimitation of maritime zones.

“The first thing we need to do is agree on the rules. Greece does not entertain discussions about a ‘full-package solution’ since we only recognize one difference [with Turkey]. I don’t expect to see any change in the next 12 months; I find it unlikely. However, dialogue is valuable. We may have disagreements, but that does not mean we should avoid talking,” Mitsotakis said in an interview with Open TV on Wednesday morning.

During the same interview, the Greek premier also expressed satisfaction with progress in bilateral relations.

“Greece has not changed its policy towards Turkey in the last five years. Turkey has changed, shifting from a stance of ‘Mitsotakis yok’ (Mitsotakis no) to a state of normalcy,” he said.

“We have achieved 15 months without any airspace violations, we have control over [illegal] migration, we have an agreement on visas for the Greek islands, and we have established a framework for dialogue on the longstanding issue of delimitation of the EEZ and continental shelf. It’s a 40-year-old problem, and there won’t be an instant solution,” he added.