Turkish illegal actions in the Eastern Mediterranean region make the NATO-member state a destabilizing factor and undermine cohesion at a crucial time, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The two men spoke on Thursday evening on the phone, ahead of a meeting of the Alliance’s Foreign Ministers, early next month.
Greek diplomatic sources also said Dendias briefed in detail his interlocutor on Turkish provocative and unlawful behaviour in the Eastern Mediterranean and the region.
The Greek Minister noted that Turkish actions run contrary to NATO’s founding principles, inter alia the rule of law and respect for human rights,
The same sources said Stoltenberg spoke about a report of a group of experts, drafted in the framework of the “NATO 2030” reflection process.
Sources pointed to a reference in that report, saying that respect for the organisation’s founding principles by all member states and avoiding using the Alliance for own political gains is deemed to be paramount for NATO’s unity and cohesion.
A Turkish officer is a member of this group of experts, the same sources said.
Athens also noted that Turkey has been using its veto right to “punish” countries with which it has bilateral disputes, and is thus constantly causing problems in the proper functioning of the organization.
(CNA)
