Religious Fanaticism, Terrorism, “Arc of Fundamentalism” Spread, Greek Foreign Minister Says
The foreign ministers of Greece, Cyprus and Israel, Nikos Dendias, Nikos Christodoulides and Yair Lapid respectively, met in Jerusalem last Friday and, in fact, publicly declared that their countries share the values.
Mr. Dendias expressed his concerns about what has happened recently across the region, stressing that “there are extremely worrying developments”.
He then compared these developments to the shared values ​​articulated by his Israeli counterpart, Mr. Lapid, who actively promotes peaceful coexistence, moderation and prosperity in accordance with international law.
Mr. Dendias noted the recent developments in Afghanistan, namely the triumph of the Taliban, and they regard Turkey as a friendly country. Hamas also praised the Taliban. Hamas is the Gaza-based Islamic movement that also expressly denies Israel’s right to exist.
READ MORE: FM Dendias in Ankara: Important to avoid provocative actions that damage relationships
Despite all this, Turkey congratulates the Taliban on their victory. Of course, Afghan women do not share this point of view. But we must remain hopeful that the change in attitude diffused by the Taliban towards women and girls is real but above all demonstrated.
The Greek Foreign Minister thanked Israel for the measures taken which helped tackle the forest fires that ravaged Greece earlier this month.
The full transcript of Mr Dendias’ remarks or statement is published by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It is a great pleasure to be back in Jerusalem today. The last time I was here, in May, rockets were fired at Israel. I was the European Prime Minister to come here to condemn these attacks and stress Israel’s right to defend itself …
And that brings me to the other big issue that we touched on today, the extremely worrying developments across the region. You, Yair, named a phrase: “Circle of Life. … Religious fanaticism, terrorism, an “arc of fundamentalism†stretching from North Africa to the Eastern Mediterranean and reaching… Afghanistan.
The Taliban see Turkey as an ally; they have made it clear that Turkey is a friendly country. And Hamas, very close here, praised the Taliban. There are countries in our neighborhood which, contrary to what we believe to be even in the interests of their own societies, are trying to revive old empires and, worse yet, old agreements. Literally buried in the sand of the past …
READ MORE: Where are Afghan refugees going?
Thank you, dear Yair, for your kindness and hospitality. Thank you, dear Nikos, for the climate of our discussion.
