Greeks place a high value on freedom and this leads them to defend their national sovereignty and territorial integrity – and therefore the sovereignty, territorial integrity and borders of the European Union – on the basis of international law and without making any concessions, President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos said in a message directed to neighbouring Turkey on Sunday.
Speaking during a ceremony naming him an honorary citizen of the island of Psarra, Pavlopoulos reminded Turkey “of its obligation to realise that our peoples must live peacefully, on terms of friendship and good neighbourhood.”
“Greece is ready to respond in this direction and proves this constantly and in practice. Turkey must, however, understand that friendship and good neighbourhood – as well as its potential European prospects, which we support – require full and sincere respect for the entirety of international law, as well as European law, and therefore primarily the European acquis,” he said.
Greece was ready to maintain and even strengthen the bridges of friendship, Pavlopoulos added, but only if Turkey met three conditions: respect for international law, respect for European law and respect for history.
Source: ANA