Nikos Panagiotopoulos arrived in Hatay where he was greeted by his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar with whom he flew in a helicopter over earthquake-stricken areas so that the Greek minister could form a personal picture of the extent of the disasters.
Greece will try to support Turkey as much as it can so that it faces the long-term effects of the earthquakes was the message of Kyriakos Mitsotakis conveyed by the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos. In the context of his joint press conference, Nikos Panagiotopoulos emphasized: First of all, I would like to reiterate today, to the Minister of Defense Mr. Hulusi Akar, the Turkish government and the Turkish people, the sincere condolences of the Greek Government and the Greek People for the thousands of human lives lost in the devastation caused by the earthquakes.
And since today I met with my counterpart, the Minister of Defense of neighboring Turkey and his staff, let me remind you that these extreme disasters, some of which are also due to climate change, are a new type of security challenges that will concern us all and we will have to find ways to deal with them because they will come, they will hit our countries and peoples and they will have to be dealt with and we should work on it, maybe even together.
Greece, from the first moment, responded to Turkey's request to mobilize the European aid mechanism after natural disasters. We rushed, as neighbors, with Greek rescuers, to help in the effort to save our fellow human beings in Turkey, who were affected by the earthquakes, thus manifesting our support and solidarity.
Precisely, in this context and in the spirit of support, I accepted the proposal of Minister Mr. Akar, to visit the earthquake affected areas today. I realized the magnitude of the destruction, but I also realized the great effort being made to rebuild the area. It is undoubtedly a difficult situation, but in these difficult times I would like to recall the statement of the Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis that we will try to support, as much as we can, Turkey to face the long-term consequences of this great humanitarian disaster.
And here I would like to emphasize the symbolic message from my visit today, that tragedies and natural disasters of this magnitude are above and beyond any problem and difference between us and could act as levers that reduce tension and create , thus, the conditions that facilitate communication and meetings between the two sides. And of course, the final goal is, if the necessary conditions are met - and we should work for it - the creation of a climate of stability and cooperation between our countries.
Mr. Minister, I would like to thank you and say that I greatly appreciate the warmth with which you welcomed me, especially in these very difficult times for the Turkish people.
The Greek minister emphasized to his Turkish counterpart the symbolic message of his visit that tragedies and natural disasters of this magnitude are beyond and above any difference between the two countries.
Hulusi Akar, for his part, pointed out: "I believe with all my heart that Turkey and Greece can solve these problems by peaceful means. Our wish is that the doors of dialogue are open without waiting for another catastrophe. It is our desire that the Aegean and the Mediterranean truly be a sea of friendship. I would like to thank Panagiotopoulos for this important and meaningful visit."
