Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panagiotopoulospaid a visit today to Turkey, to the areas affected by devastating earthquakes, at the invitation of his Turkish colleague, Hulusi Akar.

The Minister of National Defense held a private meeting with his Turkish counterpart at the Disaster and Crisis Coordination and Management Center in Antioch, where he was briefed on the latest developments and the current situation, and then, together with his Turkish counterpart, went by helicopter to the disaster sites.

The two ministers also visited the local hospital, as well as places of temporary accommodation for residents affected by the earthquake.

During his visit, N. Panayotopoulos repeated “To Hulusi Akar, the Turkish government and the Turkish people, the sincere condolences of the Greek government and the Greek people in connection with the thousands of human lives lost as a result of the devastation caused by earthquakes.”

“Greece responded from the first moment to Turkey’s request to mobilize a European disaster relief mechanism. We, as neighbors, rushed together with the Greek rescuers to help in the rescue efforts of our brothers in Turkey affected by the earthquakes, thus expressing our support and solidarity (…) This is undoubtedly a difficult situation, but in these difficult times I would like to recall the statement of Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis that we will try, as far as possible, to support Turkey to cope with the long-term consequences of this great humanitarian catastrophe,” said Mr. Panagiotopoulos, while emphasizing at the same time the symbolic message of his visit that “tragedies and natural disasters of this magnitude go beyond any problems and differences between us and can act as levers to reduce tensions and thus create an environment that facilitates communication and meetings between the two sides.“.

Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akarstated, for his part, that “our desire, our expectation and our desire is that, without waiting for a new catastrophe, the channels of communication remain open and the positive atmosphere created after the devastating earthquake is preserved“.

“By creating an atmosphere of constant cooperation, I believe and hope that the Aegean and the Mediterranean will become the seas of the world,” Mr. Akar continued, acknowledging that there are “some problems” between Greece and Turkey that “we hope we can solve” . resolve within the framework of good neighborliness, international law, an allied spirit, by peaceful means and methods, with mutual respect and dialogue (…) for the benefit of all parties.”