New message from Mitsotakis to Erdogan from Copenhagen: As long as there is a Casus Belli, Greece will say “NO” to Turkey’s participation in SAFE

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that Turkey’s accession to the EU’s SAFE defense programme cannot proceed arsenic agelong arsenic Ankara maintains the casus belli against Greece and disputes the sovereignty of Greek islands. He made these comments pursuing the informal EU leaders’ acme successful Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Prime Minister said helium had held meetings with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte regarding the SAFE program.

As Mr. Mitsotakis pointed out, Rutte “asked maine and I was clear: As agelong arsenic Turkey keeps the casus belli connected the array and disputes the sovereignty of islands, Greece volition not consent to Turkey joining the program.”

Regarding EU defence astatine its confederate borders—an contented straight affecting Greece—the Prime Minister said that astatine the adjacent European Council (at the extremity of October), “we volition person the accidental to sermon the proposals submitted by the European Commission.”

He further stressed that “there is present the established knowing that Europe’s information cannot beryllium confined to its eastbound borders. The conception of information that covers some the eastbound and confederate borders is reflected successful the Council’s decisions and is supported by different subordinate states arsenic well.”

He added that “any defence program volition see each of Europe’s borders, including our homeland,” and emphasized that “we are person to the thought of a fiscal instrumentality for associated projects.”

In effect to different question astir drones, the Prime Minister stated: “Citizens should not deliberation that, careless of European initiatives, Greece does not instrumentality attraction of its ain protection.”

When asked astir António Costa’s connection to determination from unanimity to qualified bulk voting, Mr. Mitsotakis said that “the contented was discussed and our presumption is clear: We volition not hold to the elimination of unanimity astatine circumstantial stages of the accession process.”

On illegal immigration, helium noted that “Europe has changed its migration policy. We are stricter connected borderline extortion and are focusing connected returns and dismantling the wretched networks of smugglers.”

“Our actions person shown results,” Mitsotakis added, noting that some Greek and European perseverance are needed to code the issue.

“Greece is not lone connected the beforehand line, but it has besides paved the way,” helium concluded.