14/02/2022 (Agence Europe) – On Sunday 13 February, the spokesman for the European External Action Service denounced recent comments by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu disputing Greece’s sovereignty over some of its islands and calling for their demilitarisation. These comments “are counterproductive and contradict de-escalation efforts in the Eastern Mediterranean called for in the Conclusions of the European Council from 23 March (see EUROPE 12686/3) and 24-25 June 2021 (see EUROPE 12748/3)”, the spokesman warned. Considering Greece’s sovereignty over the islands to be “unquestionable”, the spokesman called on Turkey to respect it, to refrain from any provocative statements or actions in this regard, to commit itself unequivocally to good neighbourly relations and to strive for a peaceful settlement of any disputes. “International agreements must be respected”, he added. (CG)