Bundescancer Olaf Scholz (SPD) has defended Greece against Turkish threats in the dispute over Greek islands in the eastern Mediterranean. “It is unacceptable when one NATO partner questions the sovereignty of another,” Scholz told the Greek newspaper Ta Nea before his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens on Thursday. “This also applies to more or less encrypted military threats.”
Turkey is challenging Greek sovereignty over numerous inhabited and uninhabited Greek islands in the eastern Mediterranean. The situation between the two NATO partners in the Aegean is extremely tense at the moment. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had repeatedly threatened Greece in recent weeks with the sentence: “We could suddenly come one night.”
Scholz called on both countries to resolve the conflict through dialogue. “Good, neighborly relations between Greece and Turkey are important not only for both countries, but for all of Europe,” he said. “The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that the open questions between the two countries are resolved in dialogue and on the basis of international law.”
The chancellor also offered German mediation in the dispute. “Our common goal, our vision should be to exploit the full economic potential of the eastern Mediterranean region. For the good of all countries,” he said. “If that is considered useful by those involved, Germany can get involved here.”
