Greek President Visits Kastellorizo on the 77th Anniversary of its Liberation

President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou on Sunday accused Turkey of undermining good neighborly relations during her visit to the Greek island of Kastellorizo to mark the 77th anniversary of its liberation.
“We are going through a difficult and dangerous period. The Turkish leadership is intensifying the pressure on our country, proceeding to aggressive statements,” she said, adding that “the escalation of the aggressive rhetoric by the Turkish leadership is raising barriers between the peoples, creating suspicion and hostility, threatening the ties between them.
“Kastellorizo is a valuable part of our country. It is not just strategic for shaping and claiming the rights of Greece. It has even greater moral significance. It is the place that condenses the concept of patriotism, in its highest expression. The place that remained Greek, in defiance of any threat,” she underlined.

Sakellaropoulou stressed that “Greece, not only does not threaten anyone but is always open to dialogue, provided that good neighborly relations and the rules of international law are observed.”
She also welcomed the withdrawal of the Turkish seismic research vessel that was operating for almost a month south-west of Kastellorizo.
The “immediate de-escalation on the part of Turkey is a necessary condition for political debate, on the basis of international law. We hope that logic will prevail, for the common interest of all the peoples in the region,” she said.