FOU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 106: Henvendelse af 30/7-20 vedrørende sikkerhedssituationen i det østlige middelhavsområde, fra formanden for det græske Forsvars- og Udenrigsudvalg

Forsvarsudvalget 2019-20
FOU Alm.del Bilag 106
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HELLENIC PARLIAMENT

STANDING COMMITTEE ON

NATIONAL DEFENSE AND FOREING AFFAIRS

THE CHAIRMAN

Athens, 27 July 2020

Mr Naser Khader

Defence Committee

Folketing

Dear Colleague,

In these turbulent times, we strongly believe that policies aimed at consolidating

stability and security in the South-Eastern Mediterranean are of pivotal importance. In this

respect, Greece remains committed to promoting its bilateral relations with all its neighbours,

including Turkey, on the basis of respect of international law and the principle of good

neighbourly relations.

However, as I am sure you are all aware of, over the past months we have been

witnessing a rapid escalation of Turkey’s provocative and aggressive acts. Its latest provocation

is the issuance on 21

July 2020 of a navigational warning (NAVTEX) announcing the conduct,

in an area part of which falls within the Greek continental shelf, of seismic survey by the Turkish

research vessel “ORUC REIS” from 21

July to 2

August 2020.

The aforementioned activities are illegal and in blatant violation of international law

and, in particular, the international Law of the Sea; as such, they

bear no legal effects on Greece’s

sovereign rights and cannot prejudice these rights in any way.

Overall, Turkey has been following a counter-productive path in the Eastern

Mediterranean by pursuing an aggressive and revisionist agenda. This agenda is not only

conspicuous by its acts towards Greece, but also by the decades-long open wound in Cyprus, as

well as by Ankara’s interference in Syria and Libya. In all of the

aforementioned cases, Turkey

grossly violates International Law and UN principles and values, including the principle of good

neighbourly relations.

Last but not least, the recent decision by the Turkish leadership to turn Hagia Sophia

into a mosque is a blatant disregard to a monument of profound historical value and symbolism

and an affront to the entire civilised world, irrespective of national or religious backgrounds. It

is also a matter of disrespect to commitments Turkey itself has undertaken before UNESCO.

Hagia Sophia is not an issue involving a number of nations only; it is a matter of the international

community, as a whole. Therefore, such acts unnecessarily deepening intercultural or interfaith

rifts must be condemned by the international community in a clear and unequivocal manner.

FOU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 106: Henvendelse af 30/7-20 vedrørende sikkerhedssituationen i det østlige middelhavsområde, fra formanden for det græske Forsvars- og Udenrigsudvalg

Greece, genuinely wants to construct a mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey,

which would be advantageous for both countries and could pave the way for an era of cooperation

that would benefit the Eastern Mediterranean as a whole. The Turkish illegal and provocative

conduct, however, seriously undermines this prospect and has a destabilizing, peace-threatening

even, effect for the whole region.

In conclusion, it is imperative that Ankara is firmly reminded of the need to refrain

from actions that run contrary to international legality. It should also be reminded that any

adventurist agenda inspired by its neo-ottoman vision is not only obsolete and alien to the 21

century, but also extremely dangerous, given that it risks fuelling further divisions in the entire

South-Eastern Mediterranean. This is the last thing an already vulnerable and fragile area would

need.

In my capacity as the Chairman of the Committee on National Defence and Foreign

Affairs, I remain at your disposal for any further clarification on the aforementioned issues, via

teleconference, at any time convenient for you.

Κonstantinos

P. Gioulekas