President Erdoğan said, "We expect our neighbour Greece to respect our rights and interests, avoid faits accomplis and unilateral actions. I believe that we will find solutions based on equity, justice and collaboration with Greece, observing neighbourly relations. Instead of a plethora of problems, we want to leave a more stable, peaceful and secure future for our children."
President Erdoğan sent a video message to the Symposium on the Aegean Sea and Problems in the Neighbourly Relations with Greece organised by Dokuz Eylül University and Başkent University.
President Erdoğan congratulated the administrators of the two universities for their efforts in organising the symposium, wishing it to be a success.
President Erdoğan continued his remarks as follows:
"Throughout history, the Aegean Sea, known to our forefathers as the Sea of Islands, has been at the crossroads of civilisations and one of humanity's shared cultural basins. While this scenic sea, in honour of which many poems have been penned and many songs have been sung, should be the symbol of collaboration and peace, it is sad that it has been hitting the headlines with humanitarian tragedies in recent years. Thousands of migrants fleeing from Syria due to the civil war and massacres ongoing for 11 years have lost their lives in the waters of the Aegean Sea. Six years back from now, the image of baby Aylan, whose small dead body washed up on the shore, was imprinted as a testimony of shame in the collective mind of the modern world. However, Western countries, Europe in particular, have failed to draw the necessary lessons from the tragedy of baby Aylan. None of the steps to ensure and enable the refugees to live in their own countries in peace and security has been taken. Türkiye has been left to its own devices in its extraordinary struggle to prevent the irregular migration originating from Syria. The opening of the doors, closed to the faces of the oppressed Syrians, widely to the FETO-member murderers who went ahead with a coup attempt in our country and shed the blood of our 251 citizens is a source of shame for humanity.
Pointing out that in the face of this situation, neighbouring Greece accelerated its maximalist policies instead of contributing meaningfully to Türkiye's well-intended efforts, President Erdoğan said: "While the refugee crisis could have been instrumental in strengthening cooperation between the two countries, this historic opportunity was wasted because of Greece's uncompromising stance."
Underlining that Türkiye wishes the Aegean Sea to be renowned with friendship today as it was in history, rather than being attributed with tension and conflict, President Erdoğan stated that with this understanding, they have been careful not to be the party that increased the tension so far.
"We always acted peacefully"
President Erdoğan reminded that they always acted peacefully in the face of neighbouring Greece's steps, especially on the maritime jurisdiction areas, violation of the demilitarised status of the islands and Navtex announcements and that they prioritised resolving the issues through dialogue and negotiation.
Expressing that while defending Türkiye's legitimate rights arising from history and international law to the end, they never forgot to leave room for diplomacy, President Erdoğan pointed out that they maintain this positive attitude today as well.
President Erdoğan continued his statement as follows:
"We expect our neighbour Greece to respect our rights and interests, avoid faits accomplis and unilateral actions. I believe that we will find solutions based on equity, justice and cooperation with Greece, observing neighbourly relations. Instead of a plethora of problems, we want to leave a more stable, peaceful and secure future for our children. I believe that this symposium, which is held with the participation of experts in their fields, will guide us in this quest."
Congratulating those who put their efforts into the organisation of the symposium, President Erdoğan thanked all the participants who contributed to the program with their valuable ideas.