Greece will respond with every available mean to any attempt to infringe on its sovereign rights in the region, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis said in an interview published on Saturday by the Greek newspaper To Vima tis Kyriakis.
Dismissing criticism from domestic political opponents and warning Turkish authorities against unilateral moves, Gerapetritis stated that the era of passive diplomatic inertia for Greece has passed irreversibly.
He added that Greek foreign policy would continue to develop in the Eastern Mediterranean regardless of whether it caused discomfort either inside Greece or abroad.
Structured dialogue with Turkey
Addressing questions over whether the Athens Declaration signed between Greece and Turkey was effectively dead, Gerapetritis insisted that structured dialogue remains essential for maintaining regional stability.
He noted that diplomatic talks with Ankara are not an invention of the current administration under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, explaining that every Greek government since the restoration of democracy in 1974 has engaged in discussions with Turkey.
Those previous efforts included 64 rounds of exploratory contacts that Gerapetritis characterized as occasionally disorderly and fruitless, contributing nothing substantial to reinforcing Greek national positions.
By contrast, he said the Athens Declaration established a structured dialogue across three distinct pillars that served as a critical decompression channel for bilateral relations between the two Aegean neighbors.
While Greece never expected long-standing territorial disputes to vanish magically, Gerapetritis stressed that the declaration allowed both nations to maintain their respective legal stances while creating a defined framework for communication.
He pointed out that in an unpredictable global environment marked by widespread conflicts across the wider region, establishing a peaceful problem-solving process was vital, particularly after Turkey explicitly accepted globally recognized principles of international law for the first time.
Turkish influence in Syria and Libya
Commenting on Turkey's efforts to build a dominant regional posture and establish faits accomplis in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, Gerapetritis framed Ankara's actions as a reaction to Greek initiatives grounded in international law.
He explained that Turkey is attempting to forge an identity as a major regional power backed by an expanding domestic defense industry and military deployments in foreign nations.
However, Gerapetritis warned that Turkish military presence in countries such as Libya and Syria has not always proven beneficial for regional stability.
He specifically highlighted recent Turkish interventions in Syria, warning that they appear to encourage further unilateral enforcement that risks generating dangerous security spillovers across the broader Middle East and Mediterranean.
Emphasizing international legal standards, Gerapetritis asserted that no country can unilaterally create an accomplished fact, promising that Greece would work independently and through international alliances to make that position clear to all parties.
Benefits of calm waters policy
Rejecting claims that the period of calm waters between Athens and Ankara has come to an end, Gerapetritis clarified that peaceful relations are not an end in themselves but a strategic vehicle to advance core national objectives.
The policy followed years of prolonged and escalating confrontation with Turkey that directly threatened regional peace and risked escalating into open military conflict.
By establishing a functional working relationship, Athens aimed to reduce immediate crises while systematically building up Greek military power and diplomatic standing.
Gerapetritis outlined five tangible benefits produced by the calm waters approach, starting with a significant reduction in Turkish national airspace violations and minimized eastern migrant crossings across the Aegean.
This easing of tensions allowed Eastern Aegean islands to experience economic growth, while ensuring that no major crisis erupted despite underlying friction.
Military upgrades and strategic alliances
Secondly, Gerapetritis highlighted how Greece utilized the peaceful interlude to strengthen its economy and modernize its Armed Forces, which had suffered severe cutbacks during the decade-long Greek financial crisis.
He stated that Greek forces now hold air and naval superiority due to the acquisition of French-built Rafale fighter jets, upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters, French Belharra frigates, a restructured force command, and upcoming acquisitions of American F-35 stealth fighters.
Thirdly, Gerapetritis said Greece has expanded its diplomatic footprint to the hard core of major international organizations while cementing strategic partnerships with key powers including the United States, France, Israel, Egypt, India, and Gulf nations.
These diplomatic initiatives also enabled Athens to resolve past diplomatic strains with Libya and reinforce its broader global presence.
Fourthly, improved relations with Ankara helped restart informal discussions on the divided island of Cyprus under the auspices of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres following a prolonged stalemate.
Finally, Gerapetritis noted that Greece successfully established solid legal and political arguments supporting national projects, such as Maritime Spatial Planning and offshore energy exploitation.
Energy links and maritime rights
Turning to energy security, Gerapetritis described the planned Greece-Cyprus electrical cable as a major project designed to end the energy isolation of Cyprus.
He noted that the recent acquisition of a majority stake in the Great Sea Interconnector company by French investment firm Meridiam confirms the financial and technical viability of the undersea power line.
Gerapetritis reaffirmed that Greece, working in full coordination with the Republic of Cyprus, will take all necessary steps to ensure the project moves forward without hindrance.
On the sensitive issue of territorial waters in the Aegean Sea, Gerapetritis reiterated that extending Greek coastal limits up to 12 nautical miles remains an unalienable legal right under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
He stressed that the Greek state retains the right to exercise this expansion unilaterally at a time and in a manner of its own choosing.
International law and domestic opposition
Gerapetritis rejected accusations of self-restraint, insisting that international law cannot be applied selectively and that adherence to the Law of the Sea is a duty for any law-abiding nation.
Directing criticism at opposition politicians at home, he argued that consistent adherence to international law gives Greece the legal authority to defend its national interests effectively.
He pointed out that Greece had already expanded its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea west toward Italy and south to Cape Tainaron, signed Exclusive Economic Zone demarcation agreements with Italy and Egypt, licensed global energy majors to survey oil and gas deposits south of Crete, introduced Maritime Spatial Planning, and created new Marine Parks in the Aegean and Ionian Seas.
Gerapetritis challenged domestic critics who fault the government for Turkish pushback, asking why previous administrations failed to implement a single measure from that list during their own terms in office.
Regarding his personal relations with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Gerapetritis stated that the two diplomats have maintained a satisfactory level of direct communication regarding each country's red lines.
He concluded that this open channel of communication has successfully prevented major bilateral crises over the past three years while fostering a functional relationship to benefit both nations.
