“Turkey’s effort towards rapprochement with the EU ahead of the European Council meeting will have to be lasting and consistent”, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis stressed in his interview on Parapolitika 90.1 with journalists Christina Korai and Dimitris Takis. Regarding the 62nd round of exploratory talks, set to take place in Athens on 16 March, he highlighted that “we believe there must always be a channel of communication”. He noted, however, that “Ankara will have to prove that it wants to remain at the table of dialogue and desist from provocative actions that disrupt the wider security in the region”. The Alternate Minister made special reference to the statements of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding Turkey’s provocative actions. “This is the first time the United States adopt the view that the violations of national airspace are a major provocation, with the State Department taking a clear stance on this at the highest level”, he said, adding that this shows a substantial shift on the part of the U.S. with regard to its relationship with Turkey and the balance of powers in the Aegean – a shift initiated by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Commenting on the criticism of Greece’s response to the pandemic, Mr. Varvitsiotis highlighted the need to be very careful in drawing conclusions and to take into account the general situation in Europe. Coronavirus fatalities in other European countries remain high, as in the cases of Slovakia, with 241 victims per 100,000 residents; the Czech Republic at 207; Hungary at 103; and Luxembourg, the wealthiest country in the EU, at 49. Meanwhile, countries like Austria and Greece are at 35 victims per 100,000 residents. Finally, responding to a question on the deterioration of the political climate, the Alternate Minister noted that “during the past two months, various groups have attempted, through their conduct, to provoke the state and cause tensions”. Mr. Varvitsiotis added that there has been an attempt to create new divisions, but that “the government does not want this and it is not supported by our party, which has traditionally favoured national reconciliation and unity of the people”. In contrast, he noted, Syriza is participating and mobilising people in all of these protests, “refusing to see that the victim of the incident a few days ago in Nea Smyrni was a police officer”, he said, underscoring that “if they think this will earn them the trust of the majority of the people, who want calm and order in the country, they are backing the wrong political horse”!
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