The Alternate Minister of National Defence Fotis Kouvelis, during an interview given on Thursday, 19 April 2018, on REAL FM Radio Station with journalist Nikos Chatzinikolaou, stated the following:
Regarding the possibility of Turkey’s provocativeness escalation following the declaration of snap elections:
The tension caused by the President of Turkey is projected in the interior of Turkey as well, regarding the shaping of a specific image, which he wants to exploit with regard to elections and with regard to the counterbalancing of the domestic, big and intensive social problems. Erdogan’s reelection does not mean change of line by itself. Change of line will depend on issues as a total, especially on Turkey’s unstable foreign policy, which is greatly tested today through its contradictions.
When asked if Turkey is balancing between NATO and Russia, he replied:
Precisely. I do not know if Turkey is able to balance. Turkey’s foreign policy is doddering. It is on hold, it is suddenly reminded of its European orientation.
On whether there will be any further escalation:
I do not rule out, in the context of the rhetoric that Erdogan uses, the possibility to have a tension, but with regard to other movements – referring to infringements, to air space violations and possibly to Turkey’s extensive exercises to engage large areas, I consider there will be no further escalation. We may face partial escalation. I remind you that for the first time, in a very specific way, Imia islets sovereignty has been disputed, since Mr Erdogan knows very well that our sovereign rights regarding Imia are stated in specific Treaties. There were times that Erdogan claimed that Imia were included in the ‘gray’ zones, as he claimed about islands and islets. Today though, he presents the issue once more, by escalating the tension’s rhetoric, claiming that Imia islets belong to Turkey.
Replying in a question about the existence of a problem regarding the two Greek officers detained in Andrianople prison, he stated:
Turkey, as known, included the issue of the two imprisoned officers in the tension of the relations with our country and the issue was referred to a Turkish court. This is not a weakness on behalf of the Turkish Justice to move quickly. The detention of our two officers is illegal. Besides, they are detained without accusation. The process is delayed, with Turkey escalating the tension at this level, in the name of court procedures which extends the detention of our two officers. This fact makes me think that, during the pre- election period, Mr Erdogan will have no desire to stop this delay and accelerate the pending procedures with regard to Turkish Justice. There is no accusation, so detention is illegal. Also, the International Law and the Law for Human Rights is violated and we must keep in mind the Geneva Convention as well. I mention this, not to illustrate the legal status, but to state that Turkey despises all this, because it precisely includes the case in what it chooses, as an element of tension in its relations with our country. According to this, I cannot estimate the duration of their imprisonment, that is the illegal imprisonment of our two officers.
In the pointing out of the journalist regarding ‘the term that Mr Panos Kammenos has chosen to use- the term hostage- and the fact that he is confirmed’, he replied:
The word hostage can surely identify the term which defines illegal detention. Not accepting the word hostage had nothing to do with these characteristics, but mainly with the fact that if we accept Turkey’s understanding and ‘logic’ that they are hostages under a legal meaning of the term, a meaning that refers to International Law which we call upon, then it is like indirectly accepting a possible exchange.
Replying to the comment that ‘the word hostage also brings the word ransom on the table therefore to an exchange’, he stated:
I refer to the exchange, which I repeat directly or indirectly at times, mentioned by the President of Turkey, Mr Erdogan, with regard to the eight Turkish officers, who were trialed by the independent, truly independent Greek Justice, in accordance with our national and European Law and they were granted political asylum. On the other hand, the word hostage, out of the legal context and with regard to the International and European Law, surely constitutes an element leading to the illegal-extended detention.
On his relations with the Minister of National Defence, Panos Kammenos:
Indeed, I wonder how some people hasted to write-let me choose a lenient term-that there is discord. They claim they found discord in the relations between the Minister of National Defence and the Alternate Minister of National Defence. There is no problem whatsoever on our functional relations with Mr Kammenos. We cooperate in a perfect way. We follow a common line in facing Turkey’s behavior in general. We also follow this line with regard to the detention of our two military members. In other words, what I am saying is that we both work-each one in his area of responsibility-for the good, the fruitful outcome, as far as the Ministry of National Defence is concerned.
On the incident with the hoist of the Greek flag in the rocky islet:
The hoisting of a flag has its own rules, as these rules are defined by the law, but let us put this aside. A country’s foreign policy cannot be mapped and exercised with spontaneous actions, which, if you want to know, I deeply respect and honor, but these are spontaneous actions that harm our foreign policy’s exercise. The country’s foreign policy must be exercised by the competent authorities of the State. According to this, Mr Kammeno’s statements in the Parliament yesterday were absolutely right.
