ATHENS – “Turkish provocativeness continues and its absurdity has now become a daily phenomenon,” said Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in joint statements on Monday with his Cypriot counterpart, Ioannis Kasoulides, after their meeting in Athens, while he underlined that Greece will continue to support Cypurs in its effort to avert new faits accomplis.

As Dendias said, Turkish provocativeness does not “intimidate Greece, which continues to defend the justice of its positions and internationally highlight the absurdity and illegality of Turkish demands,” while adding that “any regression from the Turkish side or attempt to create faits accomplis either in Greece or in Cyprus must meet with a European response”.

He said that in the next 10 days he will have an equal number of meetings with his ministers, adding that he will explain to all his counterparts that the European Council decisions in terms of Turkey’s behaviour are in effect.

Dendias also referred to the “unacceptable and deplorable incident of the detention and refusal of entry into Izmir of Central Macedonia governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas by the Turkish authorities,” noting that “this behaviour was condemned by Turkish officials as well”.

“This action is not in compatible with Turkey’s European perspective,” Dendias explained and pointed out that “Tzitzikostas was in Izmir as the chair of a European body and not as Greek regional governor”.

Regarding the Cyprus issue, Dendias pointed out that Greece continues to unequivocally support a fair and viable solution for the Cyprus issue based on UN Security Council resolutions, which is compatible with European laws and practices, a solution creating a bizonal, bi-communal federation.

“We are monitoring Turkey’s efforts to upgrade the pseudostate internationally,” Dendias said, adding that “the decisions of the UN Security Council on the status in Varosha are clear and do not need interpretation’.

The two ministers also discussed developments in the wider region. Both welcomed the developments regarding the recent agreement between Israel and Lebanon on the delimitation of their respective maritime zones and noted that the negotiations between Cyprus and Lebanon on the delimitation of the EEZ are about to begin.