The Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, visited Turkey on Sunday, February 12, 2023, on the occasion of the deadly earthquakes that hit the country. Mr. Dendias was accompanied by his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu.

In his statements, the Greek Foreign Minister stated, among others, that Greece’s effort to help the Turkish people and Turkish society to overcome this great blow does not stop here, while he emphasized that he has been ordered by the Prime Minister, Mr. Mitsotakis, to assure that Greece will do everything it can to support Turkey in this difficult time, either bilaterally or in the context of its EU membership.

For his part, the Turkish Foreign Minister stated that we should not wait for another earthquake to improve bilateral relations, stressing that Greece was one of the first countries that contacted the Turkish authorities immediately after the earthquake to wish them well and to declare its will for help by sending rescue crews and several aircraft with humanitarian aid to the earthquake-stricken areas.

Mr. Dendias is the first Foreign Minister of the European Union to visit the regions of Turkey affected by the earthquake.

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