Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos received his Israeli counterpart Moshe Ya’alon in Athens on Tuesday, for talks focusing on cooperation between Greece, Israel and Cyprus and the possibility of adding Bulgaria, Jordan and Egypt to a so-called “axis of good” aimed at countering terrorism and fundamentalism in the wider region.
The two ministers also called on Turkey to change its stance and also join in this axis, noting that it was up to the Ankara government to take a decision “to stop supporting terrorists”.
Ya’alon warned that the west would face a major period of destabilization in the wider region due to the instability in the Middle East, caused by the internal conflicts between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in the area. He noted that there were no specific enemies but “specific hostile situations” and warned of the risks of terror attacks in Europe by a “complex network of terrorists with legal weapons of mass destruction”.
Kammenos said the international community must work together, including an exchange of information, in order to combat terrorism. He noted that innocent refugees were being used as a means to promote terrorism and that a solution to the migration issue was to create conditions for growth in the countries refugees were fleeing, so that they could return.
Cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel, he added, could help control the financing of terrorism, especially its reliance on illegal trafficking in fuel, weapons, drugs and people.
The Israeli defence minister commented on Turkey’s role, saying the country was responsible for the deterioration in its relations with Israel. He urged Turkey to “stop financing terrorism, activity for which there is evidence” and to stop allowing the migration of jihadists to Europe. He also accused Turkey of protecting Hamas in Istanbul.
(source: ana-mpa)
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