German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday defended Greek sovereignty against «Turkish attacks» and stressed that «it is not acceptable for one NATO partner to question another,» a clear allusion to the dispute the two countries share in the eastern Mediterranean.
Scholz, who met with the Prime Minister of the Hellenic country, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, pointed out that «this also applies to more or less veiled military threats» between the parties.
Furthermore, he has called on Athens and Ankara to resolve the conflict through dialogue: «good neighborly relations are important not only for both but for the whole of Europe». «The German government is committed to resolving the outstanding issues between the two countries on the basis of international law,» he stressed.
In this regard, he has offered mediation in the dispute. «After all, our common goal, our vision, should be to harness the full economic potential of the Eastern Mediterranean region for the benefit of all countries,» he said before affirming that «whenever the parties involved consider it useful, Germany can get involved in this.»
However, Turkish authorities continue to question Greece’s sovereignty over numerous inhabited and uninhabited Greek islands in the area, which has led to a significant increase in tension.
