Dendias: Germany’s soft approach to Turkey has failed

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias spoke of Germany’s soft approach to Turkey in an interview, saying that such a policy had failed.

Dendias, in an interview in the Sunday edition of German newspaper Welt, assessed that the soft approach of Berlin towards Turkey failed.

In this context, he spoke about the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean and the challenges by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“Unfortunately, Germany’s soft approach to Turkey has failed […] Berlin’s policy towards Ankara can be described as ‘appeasement’. The Germans tried to appease the Turks and this did not succeed. This is clearly shown by the sailing of the Oruç Reis,” said Dendias.

At the same time, he added that for this reason Greece proposed to the European Council to make it clear to Turkey that  “violations of international law will have consequences, ie sanctions to the detriment of the Turkish economy.”

Regarding arms sales to Turkey, Dendias stressed that Greece is “threatened by German weapons in the hands of Turkey.”

“Ankara has ordered six submarines [type 214]. If Germany gives them, Turkey will again have the upper hand over us,” said the Foreign Minister.

In this context, Dendias claimed that Germany “should stop” the delivery of these submarines to Turkey, emphasizing that Greece, which has such submarines, deserves this advantage because it is not the aggressor.

“Do not give Turkey anything that will destabilize the entire Eastern Mediterranean, something that could create significant problems in the EU and Germany,” he continued.

The Greek Foreign Minister also explained that Turkey is again violating international law as the Oruç Reis research vessel is preparing to drill in an area that has not been demarcated and is within the Greek continental shelf.

In this context, the exact scope of the rights should be determined on the basis of international law, according to Dendias.

Finally, the top diplomat noted, among other things, the importance of Greek-Russian cooperation in the wider maritime region of the Eastern Mediterranean.