We hope that the next Turkish government will generally reconsider its approach to the West, the Greek Prime Minister said.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he would extend a “hand of friendship” to the winner of Sunday’s upcoming presidential election in Turkey, the Associated Press reported.
In an interview with the agency, Mitsotakis said that he is not naive and knows that countries’ foreign policies do not change overnight. “We hope that the next Turkish government will generally reconsider its approach to the West,” he added.
Turkey has delicate relations with the US and some European countries. Ankara has blocked Sweden’s NATO membership and is at loggerheads with the US and other countries over the Kurds and other groups Turkey considers a terrorist threat.
Mitsotakis said he would not want to spend more than 2 percent of Greece’s gross domestic product on defense, but added that he had to be realistic and Greece would continue its foreign policy of strengthening its deterrence and defense capabilities.
Greece and Turkey have been at loggerheads over their borders in the Mediterranean for decades, and the dispute has deepened in recent years, forcing the Greek government to invest in a massive program to modernize its armed forces.
Source: banker