ATHENS — Developments in Belarus have led to "sad pictures of violent repression" making the round of the world, and it's necessary to send a message of support to the country's citizens, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, according to government sources on Wednesday.

After a European Council teleconference focusing on Belarus, Mitsotakis said that Europe cannot adopt different standards for Belarus than it does for Turkey, adding that the EU's approach to human rights and the state of law must not be different for Belarus compared to that for Turkey.

In the discussion at the teleconference of developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, the premier referred to the Greek-Egyptian agreement on maritime zones, which is "absolutely legal and a model agreement," while Turkey "systematically violates all International Law rules".

He also described events that happened in the region included in the illegal Turkish Navtex, focusing on the threat to European security.

Greece has never turned down negotiations with Turkey, "but not as long as there is tension at sea, at land and in the air – and for our only difference, which is the delineation of the maritime zones," he said.

Europe's Foreign Affairs ministers will hold an informal meeting on August 27, and the European Council will hold an extraordinary session on its relations with Turkey on September 24 and 25.