The Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos attended the regular autumn session of NATO Defence Ministers, held via VTC, on 22 and 23 October 2020. During the Meeting, the major challenges and the situation in Eastern Mediterranean were discussed.
The Minister of National Defence underscored Greece’s full respect of the fundamental rules, established by the NATO Treaty and the Chart of the United Nations, about the peaceful settlement of any dispute, based on the International Law. This is a steady position of our country in opposition to the unilateral and provocative actions of Turkey, such as the research vessel and warships sailing within the Greek continental shelf, as well as the extension of the illegal NAVTEX until 27 October. These actions point out an unreliability of Turkey’s intention for dialogue, they undermine the de-escalation procedure in the context of NATO and they affect the cohesion and unity of the alliance.
Mr. Panagiotopoulos stressed that, as long as Turkey continues its provocative activities – which Greece faces with composure and with full operational readiness and decisiveness – there will be no discussions.
NATO Secretary General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg proposed a mutual suspension of military exercise activities during holidays and recommended Turkey to avoid continuing its seismic surveys and solve any dispute in compliance with
International Law.
