Greece seeks cooperation with Turkey: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

ATHENS

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Friday that he would make every effort to seek cooperation with Turkey.

Mitsotakis’ remarks came during an address to the UN General Assembly in New York where he said Greece always wants to keep the channels of dialogue open with Turkey, and Athens does not want tensions that occurred last year to reoccur.

He said that Greece will continue to protect its sovereign rights, claiming that Athens has faced the threat of using force since 1995 due to the "casus belli" decision by Turkey.

Greece attempted to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea to 12 miles in the 1990s but scuttled that plan after Turkey declared that such a move would be a casus belli, or cause for war.

He argued that it is possible to fight new common enemies together by cooperating with Turkey, citing cooperation can be made with Ankara on the climate crisis and refugee issue.

"I will not avoid any effort to continue seeking cooperation with Turkey," Mitsotakis said, noting that history and geography connect both countries.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan