Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Dendias also met with Minister-President (Ministerpräsident) of North Rhine-Westphalia Armin Lasche in Athens on Monday, where they discussed Turkey's provocative actions and the migration crisis.
Dendias told Laschet that Greece is ready for a dialogue with Turkey in the framework of both International Law and International Law of the Sea, even though a dialogue cannot be held when threats abound, he pointed out.
Greece's Foreign Affairs Minister also noted that he believes Germany can play a key role in the region.
Με τον Πρωθυπουργό της Βόρειας Ρηνανίας-Βεστφαλίας, κύριο @ArminLaschet, είχαμε μία ενδελεχή συζήτηση σχετικά με τις συνέπειες της πανδημίας στις κοινωνίες και τις οικονομίες μας. @GreeceMFA
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) August 3, 2020
After discussing the economic and social implications of the coronavirus pandemic, the ministers talked about the EU Recovery Fund, which Dendias said they both see it as an opportunity for the EU to write a new chapter in unity and solidarity.
On his part regarding Turkey and migration, Laschet underlined that "we cannot let Greece deal with these issues alone, because these are of a European nature," and clarified that he is not just referring to the migration crisis. It is to the benefit of all, he said, when tensions between Greece and Turkey ease.
With the support of the international community, the situation in Libya can improve, which will allow for a more integrated system for tackling the migration crisis, he added.
Earlier, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Laschet.
Mitsotakis and Laschet discussed the important measures announced at the recent Summit, aimed at funding post-pandemic relief efforts in the EU.
He also noted that all “European countries must be on high alert for the next months, or at least until a vaccine against the coronavirus is found, because we all understand we can’t go to a second total lockdown of our economies.”
