A clear message that France was and will be on the side of Greece and Cyprus when there are threats and violations of sovereignty from neighboring countries, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna sent from Athens after a meeting with her Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias.

“We were on the side of Greece and will remain,” he wanted to repeat and indicated that, of course, France is monitoring the situation very closely to avoid escalation. “I said it yesterday in Ankara and I repeated it today,” he added and noted that no one wants further escalation, escalation and that “everyone should show restraint.”

The area does not need tension, but peace and mutual respect

Referring to her meeting yesterday in Turkey with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Catherine Colonna said she expressed France’s concern about this escalation and tension and even asked not to make statements that could be equated with provocations. As he noted, the region needs not tension, but peace and mutual respect.

Asked how France would side with Greece, under a defense agreement between the two countries in September 2021, if threats materialize and escalate, Catherine Colonna assured that “we are all doing our best to, through our hand, to we are not in the situation you describe. In other words, let’s act so that we don’t end up in this situation.”

However, the French Foreign Minister continued, if this happens, “we did indeed sign a corporate strategic cooperation agreement, and of course Article 21 describes exactly this case, and it describes that if both sides discover that there is an armed attack on territory of a country there is mutual assistance. However, he reiterated that “we are doing our best not to end up in that situation.”

Source: APE/MEB