Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis defended the government's policy of open dialogue with Turkey on SKAI televi...

Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis defended the government's policy of open dialogue with Turkey on SKAI television Wednesday, arguing the approach has produced concrete results while insisting Greece's core national positions remain non-negotiable. Gerapetritis pointed to a sharp drop in migration flows as one of the most visible outcomes of the warmer bilateral climate. Reception facilities on the Eastern Aegean islands, once severely overcrowded, are now practically empty, he said, while Turkish tourist arrivals have increased and boosted local economies. He also cited a significant reduction in violations of Greek airspace, noting that approximately 2,500 violations were recorded in 2014 alone. The minister was direct about the limits of the progress, however. He acknowledged that no meaningful advance has been made on the core dispute between the two countries, particularly the delimitation of maritime zones. "Calm waters are useful, but they are not an end in themselves," he said. "What we want is to strengthen our own national positions." Responding to critics who argue Greece is too accommodating toward Ankara, Gerapetritis noted that every Greek government since the post-junta transition period has maintained dialogue with Turkey. He specifically named former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who met Erdogan twice during his tenure and participated in six rounds of exploratory talks on maritime delimitation. Gerapetritis argued the current government has done something previous administrations did not, including establishing maritime spatial planning, creating maritime parks, and signing agreements with major American energy companies for hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete. He said Turkey's pushback on those moves was expected. Greece, he added, now has legal arguments it never previously held to counter Turkish revisionist claims such as the "Blue Homeland" doctrine, island demilitarization demands, and the concept of grey zones in the Aegean. On the Middle East, the minister said the ceasefire creates a transitional period that should allow safer passage of commercial vessels and help stabilize global oil markets, though he cautione...