Dendias-Guler meeting in Vilnius

The resumption of discussions on confidence building measures (CBMs) between Greece and Turkey was agreed yesterday during a telephone conversation between Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and his Turkish counterpart Yasar Güler.

It was announced that the details of the resumption of the CBM process will be finalized next week in Vilnius, where the two ministers will meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit (11-12 July). According to the Ministry of National Defense, Dendias and Güler exchanged congratulations on taking office and stressed the need to maintain a good climate in relations between Greece and Turkey in the coming period.

A meeting of the two ministers in Vilnius was also expected in previous days, as Athens and Ankara seem to have already agreed before the June 25 elections that the process in the Greek-Turkish dialogue that should precede it is the process of concluding a Memorandum of Understanding at the military level. It is expected that the next period will show whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also play a role in the MOU at the official level.

Meanwhile, President of Malta George Vela arrived in Athens yesterday and met with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. Both Presidents paid particular attention to the issue of migration, emphasizing that the ever-increasing number of refugees and migrants is not only a problem for coastal states such as Greece and Malta. “Protection of the outer borders EU is a priority, but it must go hand in hand with our responsibility to protect the highest good, human life. However, migration is a matter not only of the coastal states, but of the entire European family, which, in solidarity and in close cooperation with third countries, must solve this problem, while remaining true to the values ​​and ideals for which it stands,” said Ms. Sakellaropoulou, who also referred to the recent tragic shipwreck off the coast of Pylos as another example of an ongoing humanitarian crisis.

Mr. Vela, in turn, noted the increasingly close relationship between Greece and Malta. On the issue of migration, he noted: “We have not yet received the full support of all EU countries. Their solidarity is absolutely necessary because it must be expressed in practice. As EU member states originating from the Mediterranean, we must point out and remind other member states that they should not only deal with issues that are internal to the union, we should be constantly aware of the factors that threaten the security, stability and prosperity of the countries of the Mediterranean, because if things go in this direction, it will have a negative impact on the entire EU .”

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