‘No discussion’ with Turkey under ‘military pressure,’ says Greek state minister

Athens will not engage in “any discussions” with Ankara as long as Turkey continues to maintain “military pressure” in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, Greek Minister of State Giorgos Gerapetritis said on Tuesday in the wake of Monday’s comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

For any dialogue to take place between the two neighbors, Turkey must desist from all “aggressive” actions and agree to a framework of talks, Gerapetritis told Skai television. “The only issue Greece will discuss is the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone,” he said, reiterating the government’s position on the content of any talks between the two sides.

Gerapetritis also hailed the support expressed by France, saying that Paris has shown “a willingness to play a leading role and demonstrated active solidarity with Greece,” since the start of the crisis with Turkey.

The Greek official went on to welcome the upcoming visit on Tuesday by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, saying that Berlin can act as an intermediary to get “Greece and Turkey sitting at the same table.”

“Once we get there, it will be just us and Turkey,” Gerapetritis added, without elaborating.

He also hailed the exclusive economic zone agreements Greece recently signed with Egypt and Italy, and which are due to be ratified by Parliament on Wednesday in what he described as “great and historic moment for the country.”