Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an interview with a Greek newspaper, a few hours before a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said that he would accept an appeal to the International Court if it was filed “on all issues.”
We are talking about dozens of problems that Turkey creates, such as the issue of the “Turkish minority” in Thrace, the demilitarization of the islands, etc. Since Greece does not demand anything from Turkey, only it risks losing part of its sovereign rights.
“Greece is our neighbor, and we will remain neighbors. We have a common geography, the same sea. […] I spoke about a new page in our relations and about the principle win win(win-win). Concept win win(win-win) is already at the core of Turkey’s approach to international relations and diplomacy,” he said.
Elsewhere in his interview he said: “We have revived two-way mechanisms that had been dormant for a long time.” He further said: “We have never viewed neighboring Greece as an enemy or a rival… I often say that we believe that we have no problems with our neighbors, especially Greece, that cannot be overcome. I think what has changed recently is that the Greek side has reconsidered its view of us and has begun to understand that we are a nation that will never refuse the hand of friendship extended to us. I believe that Mr. Mitsotakis understands this and sees that we sincerely want to overcome the problems between Greece and Turkey and further advance our relations. I also notice in him an approach similar to ours, which is nice.”
When asked what he would say to Kyriakos Mitsotakis during the meeting in Athens, he replied: “Kyriakos, my friend, we do not threaten you if you do not threaten us. Let’s build trust between our two countries.” He added that “There is no problem that we cannot solve through dialogue, on the basis of mutual goodwill.”
Responding to a question about the continental shelf and the referral of this issue to the International Court of Justice, Erdogan noted that more issues should be included in a possible appeal:“There are many interconnected issues that need to be addressed beyond the continental shelf. When we approach international justice, we must leave no issue unaddressed.”
He also mentioned his famous line “we can come overnight, suddenly”which caused a storm of reactions by stating that the phrase refers to “terrorist elements that threaten the security of our country.”
Finally, he touched upon the topic of Hagia Sophia, saying that it would not be damaged either materially or structurally, and that the iconography would be protected.
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