ATHENS – “Greek society is facing an unprecedented challenge; it is laughable for Turkey to accuse us of provocative statements when we are actually repeating what the Turks are saying,” Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in an interview earlier on Friday, on the radio station ” Skai 100.3″. “No Greek has ever addressed the slightest provocation to Turkey,” he added.

Regarding the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, he noted that it harks back to a “Suleiman-the-Magnificent mentality” and stressed that Turkey cannot simply make up its own rules for dividing up, distributing and creating maritime zones.

“Turkey cannot come to an understanding with anyone apart from Libya, and there only under duress and use of blackmail,” Dendias said, and pointed out that these moves are a source of tension and friction but do not make Turkey any richer.

“Turkey, in its relations with Libya, has made a mistake, which mortgages Greek-Turkish relations for a number of years,” he underlined. The fact that Turkey would proceed with further actions with respect to Libya had been known, Dendias pointed out, and this was evident in the swift reactions from the international community, which condemned the signing of the agreement between Ankara and the government of Tripoli within 24 hours.

The foreign minister noted that no one had any intention of excluding Turkey from the sea and that, on the contrary, Greece had always used the sea to promote the culture of all peoples. “Turkey, however, has a phobic perception or a perception that it must dominate everything,” he added.

He also underlined that Greece is the only country that openly supports Turkey’s European perspective and has tried in every way to extend a helping hand to the neighbouring country.

Greece has done everything it can, but no government is going to allow Greece to be subjugated, Dendias added, pointing out that Turkey must itself desire its European perspective and show this through its actions. At the moment, he said, its concept of the rule of law was completely opposite to that of the EU.