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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday that Greece-Türkiye relations need a common understanding grounded in international law, saying the neighbors "cannot change geography."
He also said meaningful progress is impossible "when we are faced with threats of war," and called Cyprus an "open wound" 52 years after what he described as "an illegal Turkish invasion."
Mitsotakis addressed the 81st U.N. General Assembly as Greece nears the end of its second year on the U.N. Security Council.
Greece is set to take over the council's presidency next month.
Mitsotakis said Athens has worked for three years to ease tensions with Ankara.
"Over the past three years, we have made a continuous effort to improve our relations, rebuild trust and keep channels of communication open, in order to prevent an escalation of tensions that could lead to unwanted crises. This is a sensitive relationship, one that carries the weight of history," he said.
"Indeed, given the broader and regional challenges, the situation urgently requires a common understanding of how we move forward. An understanding that will be grounded in full respect for international law and the principles of good-neighborly relations," Mitsotakis said.
"After all, as I have said repeatedly, we cannot change geography; it is our destiny to live side by side," he added.
Mitsotakis said the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is the sole framework for settling the dispute between the two countries.
"Allow me to reiterate that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides the only institutional framework for resolving our only long-standing dispute, which concerns the delimitation of the continental shelf and Exclusive Economic Zones. Dialogue is essential for peace and prosperity," he said.
Earlier in the speech, he described UNCLOS as one of multilateralism's clearest successes.
"With 172 parties, UNCLOS provides the binding legal framework within which disputes can be resolved peacefully and not by the use of force," Mitsotakis said.
Mitsotakis paired his call for dialogue with a warning.
"However, meaningful dialogue cannot coexist with unilateral actions that challenge the international legal order, nor can there be meaningful progress when we are faced with threats of war in response to the exercise of legitimate rights under international law," he said.
"Such actions do not resolve disputes; they only end up worsening them. And they carry the risk of undermining the stability of our wider region," Mitsotakis added.
Mitsotakis then turned to Cyprus, presenting Greece's position on the island.
"A region which, we must not forget, still bears an open wound: the unresolved Cyprus issue. It has been 52 years since the illegal Turkish invasion and the continued occupation of part of Cyprus. A flagrant violation of international law, the consequences of which still persist today," he said.
"For the United Nations, Cyprus remains the 'touchstone' of its credibility: its ability to uphold its own resolutions and the principles of the Charter," Mitsotakis said.
He said Greece backs U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' push to restart talks.
"Greece fully supports the recent efforts of Secretary-General Guterres to create the right conditions for the resumption of meaningful negotiations," Mitsotakis said.
"We sincerely hope that progress will be achieved during the remainder of his term, and we expect these efforts to be continued by his successor, with the same objective: the reunification of Cyprus, free of occupation forces, in accordance with the relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions," he said.
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