During a debate in Parliament on national issues raised by three independent MPs - Michalis Chournakis, Rena Dourou and Theodora Tzakri, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis emphasised that "in discussions with Türkiye, issues of sovereignty will not be discussed. Our sovereignty is non-negotiable.
"Gerapetritis described the questioning of Greece's sovereignty in its territorial waters as a "red line."He also stressed that dialogue with Türkiye cannot take place today because Greece insists, and will always insist, that the only issue that can be brought before international jurisdiction is the delimitation of the EEZ and the continental shelf.
Regarding Cyprus, he said that "it has always been the immediate and major priority of national foreign policy and will never be abandoned." He also expressed the Greek side's unreserved support for the electrical interconnection and the lifting of the island's energy isolation.
Gerapetritis added that, for the first time since the metapolitefsi, Greece has gained a strong international presence, emphasising that this was achieved by the current government.
Referring specifically to Greek-Turkish relations, Gerapetritis pointed out that "Türkiye's claims against Greece are illegal and unfounded. The blue homeland, demilitarisation and grey zones date back to the 1990s. Yes, indeed, Türkiye has not backed down from these positions. However, the Greek position is unyielding. Today, Greece has arguments that it never had on the table before. The blue homeland may not have disappeared from public discourse in Türkiye, but there is now the maritime spatial plan, which is our position for Greece and records positions on maritime zones not only with a national will, but at the level of the European acquis. In 2025, this government introduced maritime spatial planning, which is now at the core of our claim, and we will not back down from this," Gerapetritis stressed.
He also said that, for the first time, the dialogue with Türkiye is taking place in a structured manner, on a legal basis, under the Athens Declaration, and has produced results.As a result, Gerapetritis reported a dramatic reduction in Turkish violations, irregular migration flows, and highlighted significant commercial achievements.Gerapetritis noted that in the new Greek-Turkish dialogue that will begin, discussions will concern "issues relating to bilateral relations, but also the positions of the two countries in the world."
"We will never discuss issues of national sovereignty. These are non-negotiable, and I pledge before Parliament that there will never be any discussion of sovereignty. Absolutely no discussion, and absolutely no compromise on our national positions.""We are not discussing sovereignty today, nor are we discussing maritime zones, the continental shelf, or the Exclusive Economic Zone. It is necessary to discuss these with Türkiye, but our focus is always on our national position, which is a joint commitment in The Hague for the delimitation of the EEZ and continental shelf, which are our sovereign rights, and therefore this remains our sovereign position. Today, the conditions for this discussion do not exist because Greece insists - and will always insist - that there is only one issue that can be brought before an international court, and that is the delimitation of the EEZ and continental shelf. Türkiye believes that there are ancillary issues, which is unacceptable, and therefore there can be no discussion," said Gerapetritis.