Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will travel tomorrow to Brussels where he will attend the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
The foreign ministers are expected to discuss current topical issues, including Turkey's aggression against both Greece and Cyprus in view of the forthcoming European Council, as well the situations in Lebanon, China and Russia.
Furthermore, the discussions between the foreign ministers will focus on recent developments in Libya, Belarus and EU-African Union relations, while during the working lunch, the future partnership with the Southern Neighborhood will be discussed.
In the margins of the Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will meet with the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other regional issues of the Western Balkans, while the Council will be preceded by an informal breakfast hosted Josep Borrell with the leader of the Belarusian opposition.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Naftemporiki, Dendias said that you can not say "I am ready to sit at the table" and at the same time violate the sovereignty and sovereign rights of your interlocutor, in response to Turkey's calls for dialogue. In this context, Dendias said that "if there are indications of a sincere desire to start a dialogue, without pretentious communication tricks, we are absolutely ready to talk."
At the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affair smakes it absolutely clear that the dispute with Turkey concerns the delimitation of the continental shelf and the Exclusive Economic Zone and that this has long been the subject of exploratory contacts.
"Unfortunately," he said, "we see a persistent attempt by Turkey to raise issues unilaterally by undermining these contacts before they even resume."
Ahead of next week's EU summit on September 24th and 25th, and referring to Turkey's relations with the EU, Dendias stressed that the choice belongs to Ankara: a dialogue with practical, substantive and immediate de-escalation or a list of sanctions.
"The forthcoming European Council will carefully examine the situation and draw conclusions on which future decisions will be based," he added.
