ATHENS — The ambassador of Portugal in Athens, Helena Paiva, on Thursday expressed her solidarity with the protection of the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus "against unjust and illegal demands and threats" made by Turkey.

At the same time, she sent a strong and clear message to Ankara that the Portuguese presidency intends to defend and ensure regional stability in the region, and warned that its behaviour will be examined at the forthcoming European Council meeting in March. If it is found wanting, she added, there will be an activation of the sanctions in the list provided by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Joseph Borrell.

Presenting the priorities of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union for this semester to the Hellenic Parliament's Committee on European Affairs, Paiva referred to Greek-Turkish relations, putting emphasis on ensuring peace and stability in the region.

"We are particularly interested in the rights of Greece and Cyprus and we express our solidarity against any unjust and illegal demands and threats. We want the normalisation of relations between Greece and Turkey and we will consider until March, when the European Council will take place, how we will proceed. As the presidency, we will defend the interests of the Union and its states, in order to ensure regional peace and stability."