Greek Defense Minister Panagiotopoulos is in Hatay…

National Defense Minister Akar held a joint press conference with Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, who arrived in Hatay affected by the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş on February 6, at the Disaster Coordination Center.

Stating that after the earthquakes of February 6, which is called the disaster of the century, Greece was one of the first countries to call and offer first aid, Akar stated that in this context, Greece made significant contributions to the efforts in the region. earthquake in terms of both search and rescue and humanitarian aid.

Akar said: “My friend, colleague, we would like to thank the Minister once again for his support and solidarity. I take this opportunity to offer my condolences to those who lost their lives in the tragic train accident that occurred on February 28 and wish a speedy recovery to those injured.” he said.

“I BELIEVE WITH ALL MY HEART THAT IT WILL BE USEFUL FOR THE HOLIDAYS”

Stating that mutual efforts are being made to ensure relations with Greece are always good, Akar said:

“Of course we have some problems, we have to solve these problems too. These problems like Türkiye and Greece, like two civilized countries; I hope that we can resolve good-neighborly relations within the framework of international law, in accordance with the spirit of alliance, by peaceful means and methods, with mutual respect and dialogue, and I wholeheartedly believe that this will be beneficial to the parties as well.

As neighboring countries on both sides of the Aegean, our problems and our friendship are multidimensional. Our longing, longing, longing and expectation is that this rapprochement and positive and constructive environment continue, and that the doors of dialogue open, without waiting for a new disaster. Therefore, it is our sincere wish that the Aegean and the Mediterranean now truly become a sea of ​​friendship, creating an environment of permanent cooperation. Therefore, it is our basic thought, wish and desire that the people living in Turkey and Greece live in comfort, security and prosperity. For this important and significant visit, I would like to once again thank my colleague and dear friend, Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, for the kindness they have shown us in these difficult days, for the care they have given us after the earthquake.”

STATEMENTS BY THE GREEK DEFENSE MINISTER

Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said his country gave its best support to Turkey to heal the wounds of the earthquake disaster, while on the other hand, tragedies and disasters like earthquakes actually “play the role of catalyst in terms of stress reduction”. .

Panagiotopoulos made a statement at the AFAD Coordination Center after visiting Hatay, whose epicenter is the Pazarcık and Elbistan districts of Kahramanmaraş, and where the earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.7 and 7.6, which affected 11 provinces in total, they caused destruction with the Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar.

Emphasizing that the world has been facing new challenges in terms of security recently and that the rapidly increasing natural disasters caused by climate change mean a new challenge in terms of security, Panagiotopoulos said: “We as countries have to talk about how we can fight these new challenges”. saying.

Panagiotopoulos stated that from the first minutes of the earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Greece had done its part to activate the European Aid Facility in the framework of Turkey’s request for international aid.

Underlining that they are doing everything possible to support the people affected by the earthquake in Turkey and showing their solidarity with them, Panagiotopoulos said that in the framework of this “spirit of solidarity”, he accepted Minister Akar’s proposal to visit. and made this visit to Hatay.

Panagiotopoulos stated that during his visit he had the opportunity to see not only the dimensions of the disaster in Hatay, but also the dimensions of the efforts made to heal the wounds caused by this disaster.

“(MİÇOTAKİS) GREECE IS READY TO PROVIDE ALL THE SUPPORT IT CAN”

Panagiotopoulos said: “I would like to remind you of the words of the Greek Prime Minister, Mr. Kiryakos Mitsotakis. He stated that they, like Greece, are ready to give all the support they can to Turkey to get through these difficult days.” he said.

Noting that he wanted to give a symbolic message on the occasion of his visit, Panagiotopoulos said:

“Similar tragedies show us how small are the conflicts and problems between countries based on natural disasters. When we look at it from another angle, we see that these tragedies and disasters actually act as a catalyst in terms of de-escalation.”

Stating that they are ready to do everything possible to promote stability, solidarity and cooperation between the two countries, Panagiotopoulos said, “Mr. Minister (Akar), I would like to thank you for the warm interest and close hospitality you have shown under these conditions. extremely difficult. Of course, nobody likes such disasters, nobody is happy after such disasters. However, we still want this disaster to come to an end and we want it to be remembered as a situation that leads to stability and cooperation between our countries.” he used his statements. (AA)