ATHENS — "We are very worried in Europe over the coronavirus issue and I don't believe anyone can be certain when we will all come together again," stated Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday, at a press conference in Brussels after the end of the EU Summit.

"I must underline that there is increasing concern over the second wave of the virus in all the European countries," he said, adding that "now we have a Europeaan map per region that reflects the risk level with common criteria. I think it's positive that Greece appears to still be one of the countries that is coping better in comparison with Western and Eastern Europe but this is something that can change at any time if we are not cautious and do not implement the measures."

Mitsotakis also said that he raised the issue of preparation for the next spring and summer tourist period, noting that "we all hope that we will have the vaccine in the spring but we should be ready to travel with safety and common protocols".

Concerning the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and relations with Turkey, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that it was not on the EU Summit's agenda.

"Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and I insisted and demanded a clear reference that must indicate the EU's strong disapproval of Turkey's unilateral actions. The country leaders finally agreed to this. There is a clear reference urging Turkey to respect UN Security Council resolutions and calling on Turkey to reverse these actions, adding that it will monitor the developments".

"When we discussed the issue of Turkey in detail at the last EU Summit, we had to cover a long distance to explain it to the Europeans. The conclusions that were reaffirmed today in paragraph 21 state clearly a time period in which Turkey's behaviour will be evaluated in December".