Fragogiannis: Greece’s policy with Türkiye is multidimensional

The government’s policy with neighbors is truly multidimensional, Deputy Foreign Minister Kostas Fragogiannis told Parliament on Thursday, responding to deputies.

Fragogiannis spoke in Parliament’s plenary during the debate to ratify two bills: amendments of the Agreement to Found the Common Fund for Commodities, and the funding agreement for Third Party Cost Sharing between the Government of the Hellenic Republic and the UN Development Program. 

Referring to the meeting next month of Greek and Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministers in Athens next month, Fragogiannis responded, “Türkiye is there. It is our large neighbor. It has 92 million [people]. The meeting of George Gerapetritis with Hakan Fidan cannot by itself constitute a dramatized event. We need to de-dramatize it.”

As Fragogiannis added, “Greece meets with all neighbors – in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania, and Türkiye – and the specific meeting, which is preparatory for three more meetings, relating to the Confidence Building Measures, political dialog, and the positive agenda which I am leading, will lead to the Supreme Cooperation Council, which will take place immediately after.”

Therefore, the minister said, “it is a truly multidimensional policy, in which we do not step back from our national positions and red lines, but rather we are trying to build a framework of goodwill and cooperation, which is so necessary during this highly critical time for our planet and neighborhood.”

The ratifying bills above were approved by the Parliament plenary.