Diplomatic Sources: Greece Anticipates a Stronger US Presence in the East Med

Politics

Diplomatic Sources: Greece Anticipates a Stronger US Presence in the East Med

November 12, 2020

department of state

ATHENS — Greece anticipates the continuation and further enhancement of relations with the United States, as well as a further strengthening of the US presence in the Eastern Mediterranean after the election of Joe Biden as the new US president, diplomatic sources said on Thursday.

The period up January 20 is a transition period for the US and Greece is closely monitoring the developments, they said.

Commenting on the US State Department report about Greek-Turkish differences on defining air space and Turkish violations, diplomatic sources noted that Greece's positions on its sovereignty and sovereign rights are fixed and unchanging.

The limits of Greece's territorial waters and the maritime borders between Greece and Turkey have been clearly defined for years, according to international law and are not open to any kind of dispute, the same sources said, adding that Greece is constantly briefing its partners in the USA and Europe on Turkish violations and underlining that there were 368 overflights in 2020, up from 147 in 2019 – which was also a record.

"We will continue to promote our position in the context of briefing and good cooperation with our partners, providing them with statistical data on the violations" a source said.

Regarding the schedule of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias, who went into quarantine on Wednesday as a precaution after coming into contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19, diplomatic sources said the minister was in good health and that his first tests were negative but he will not return to his office until November 15.

He will continue activities online, such as his address on Saturday to a UAE forum on "Iran, Turkey and the Arab World" via video call.

On Monday, November 16, Dendias will meet with outgoing Ambassador of Japan and afterwards he will participate in the ministerial teleconference of the group "Media Freedom Coalition".

The following Tuesday and Wednesday , Dendias will accompany Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on his visit to UAE.

On Thursday, he will take part in a teleconference of the Foreign Ministers Council of the NATO parliamentary assembly.

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