“If Turkey wants to maintain its western orientation, its stance will have to be sincere, and not just a pretext,” Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis stressed in his interview on Parapolitika FM, with journalists Christina Korai and Dimitris Takis. More specifically, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that “we do not accept dialogue based on mere pretext,” adding that, on the European level, with the conclusions of the recent meeting of the European Council, “Europe will not accept a merely professed abandonment of Turkey's aggressive and revisionist strategy. Its change of strategy must be clear, lasting and sincere.” The Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs clarified that “the withdrawal of the Oruc Reis from the southeastern Mediterranean does not suffice, on its own, as a basis for proceeding to exploratory talks.” In the same context, Mr. Varvitsiotis underscored that it is up to Turkey to show, in practice, that it is moving to de-escalate the situation, stressing that “it is up to Turkey to convince all of us – Greece and the other European partners – that it is in fact a trusted interlocutor. Turkey has disrupted these relations and it is now up to Turkey to send the right messages.” Finally, the Alternate Minister made special mention of the debate that has been initiated on Turkey’s geopolitical orientation, noting that Greece wants to see a Turkey with a clear western and Euroatlantic orientation, rather than a Turkey estranged from the west.
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