Nikos Dendias recommends self-restraint and caution over Syria agreement

Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias urged self-restraint, self-control and caution after the announcement of the US-Turkey agreement on northeast Syria.

Speaking on SKAI TV on Thursday, Dendias said it was necessary to first wait and see how many of the provisions of the agreement would finally be implemented, adding that "nobody should rush to conclusions in these things, on the contrary, we should be extremely cautious."

"Obviously, it is better [to have the agreement] than for people's lives to be lost, to have military operations, refugees and another armed conflict in the region. As to what all this means it is too soon to say. We must wait for the dust to settle, [and see] how things unfold," Dendias observed.

Referring to Greek-Turkish relations, he noted that Greece is obliged to try and find ways to conduct a dialogue but will not be drawn into a discussion that falls outside the scope of international law and international treaties. Dendias stressed that there were clear red lines that Greece will stick to, as it is not prepared to make a single concession with respect to its national interests.

Greece, he added, is not a small, weak, peripheral country but a country with significant capabilities that considers Turkey its equal. "I say this to our friends and those who are not so much our friends," he added.

According to Dendias, it would be "a great naivety and foolishness on our part," to militarise the crises with Turkey. Elaborating further, he observed that "this may be what the other side wants, to lead us to such an approach," adding that this would ultimately lead to Greece's allies and friends regarding both Greece and Turkey as "trouble makers of the Southeastern Mediterranean, that must be met with equal distances." He made it clear that Greece remains firmly 'anchored' in international law and the existing treaties and the decisions of the UN Security Council and holds all discussions on this basis. "It would be complete foolishness if, tempted by the escalation, we were to abandon our firm position and sail on a sea that leads us nowhere," he added.