Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said today, Sunday, that he is ready to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite the sharp differences between the two countries over several files.
"I consider the recent statements of the Turkish president unacceptable," Mitsotakis added at a press conference in the city of Thessaloniki in northern Greece, in the context of evaluating his government's economic performance last year and revealing the economic plan for next year.
"However, we will always try to keep the channels of communication open," the prime minister said, adding that he was "always ready to meet Erdogan."
Mitsotakis indicated the possibility of inviting Turkey to attend the meeting of the "European Political Group" to be held in Prague next October, stressing that he would not oppose this invitation.
quarrels
Asked if he thought Turkey would provoke a military conflict in the Aegean, the Greek prime minister said he could not "even imagine a military confrontation", warning that in such a scenario, the Greek armed forces would issue a "decisive response".
Erdogan has repeatedly accused Greece of occupying demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea, saying Turkey is ready to "do what is necessary" when the time comes.
Last week, the European Union expressed concern over Erdogan's comments, while Greece sent letters to NATO and the United Nations complaining about what it described as "inflammatory" comments.
According to Anadolu Agency, Ankara has also sent letters to the European Union, NATO and the United Nations to clarify its position on the issues in dispute between the two countries.
Turkey and Greece have seen decades-old disputes over a number of issues, including the boundaries of their continental shelf, overflights in the Aegean region, the status of demilitarized islands and the divided island of Cyprus.