The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, granted a comprehensive written interview, published just before hosting Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Ankara. Among other things, he stated, "The emergence of sovereignty issues is not a situation that undermines the ground for dialogue and hinders its progress. We can protect this ground under any circumstances and ensure progress."
Erdoğan responded to questions on topics such as the continental shelf and the Turkey-Libya memorandum, as well as recent issues concerning maritime parks in the Aegean. "We are not in favor of tension. Just as we do not have designs on the rights of others, we do not want anyone to show disrespect for our rights," was a characteristic response from the President of Turkey. He emphasized, "We value friendship and good neighborly relations. As long as steps that can harm us are not taken, this approach of ours will continue."
Mr. Erdoğan responded to questions from journalist Manolis Kostidis for the newspaper "Kathimerini". As noted by the newspaper, "the Turkish president responded in writing to 'K's questions, which had been submitted before the decision to convert the Monastery of Chora into a mosque." For this reason, there is no question about the issue.
Regarding the level of relations between the two countries: "Sincere and effective steps"
Erdoğan said, "As Turkey, we have taken sincere and effective steps recently, and we intend to continue doing so." He added, "We will do whatever is in our power to ensure that peace and tranquility prevail forever on both sides of the Aegean Sea."
Regarding relations with Kyriakos Mitsotakis: "Climate of harmony"
The Turkish president stated, "We have achieved a climate of harmony with Mr. Mitsotakis recently. They showed a hospitality in Athens that satisfied us. Of course, when we host Mr. Mitsotakis in Ankara, we will demonstrate one of the rarest examples of Turkish hospitality." He noted that the atmosphere he referred to "has begun to yield specific results."
On maritime parks: "Turkey will not accept de facto situations"
"The emergence of sovereignty issues is not a situation that undermines the ground for dialogue and hinders its progress. We can protect this ground under any circumstances and ensure progress. These issues already have a special place on the list of issues that need to be addressed. We can discuss these issues with a perspective that is far from accomplished facts and by adopting an approach that believes in a solution. Everyone knows how sensitive we are, as Turkey, about the environment. However, it would not be right to see this as a convenient cover and try to hide other controversial situations behind it. Each issue must be addressed within its own context. Indeed, the Law of the Sea encourages cooperation among coastal states in enclosed or semi-enclosed seas such as the Aegean, among others, and on environmental issues. On the other hand, everyone knows that Turkey will not accept de facto situations in this geography."
On the continental shelf: "Problems must be solved as a package"
Responding to a question about whether Turkey would accept "the intervention of an institution such as the International Court of Justice to resolve the longstanding dispute," the Turkish president replied, "The solution here is clear, the solution is to comply with international law and make it sustainable. As long as we do not avoid it, there should be no obstacles that we cannot overcome together. As you know, we support the idea that problems must be solved as a package. We should not ignore other controversial points by focusing on a single dispute."
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