Greece is an oasis of security and stability, Dimitris Avramopoulos underlined.

The assessment that the legislation of the “Blue Homeland” on the part of Turkey, at the level of national law, will not be implemented in practice, Dimitris Avramopoulos, former European Commissioner and former Foreign and Defence Minister, speaking in the fireside chat on “Erdogan’s Turkey and the new geopolitical balance”, in the context of the 14th Regional Growth Conference 2026 (RGC 2026), organized by the newspaper Peloponnisos, the Region of Western Greece and the University of Patras, under the auspices of the Hellenic Parliament.

In fact, as he stressed: “Greece, if for some reason it is attractive, it is because it is an oasis of security and stability and we have to protect that. Greece is a stable and stabilizing factor.”

In particular, Avramopoulos noted that the Blue Homeland law, which he said began as the invention of a retired Turkish admiral, is product of Turkey’s deep state, but at the same time it is part of a general revisionist trend observed internationally.

“Turkey’s deep state is gaining strength again. That is where the theory that Turkey is being threatened and surrounded has been cultivated lately,” he noted, explaining that Turkey’s deep state “perceives the Israel-Cyprus-Greece alliance as a threat.”

Mr. Avramopoulos stressed, however, that Greece maintains open channels of communication with Ankara and should not treat developments “fearfully.”

“I doubt that the Blue Homeland will be implemented.We must be on our guard, but don’t be afraid, it will not be implemented. We should not look at it fearfully,” he said, adding that Greece has a strong deterrent defence policy that allows citizens to feel safe.

Referring to the Law of the Sea, the former foreign minister noted that Turkey has still not ratified the relevant international convention, warning that the challenge to international law does not only concern the Eastern Mediterranean region but is a wider international trend. He said that if the law of the sea as a whole starts to be challenged, “we are leading to global upheaval.”

On the European level, he noted that the European Union still lacks a unified and clear foreign policy, and stressed that Europe and the United States “must always be together” in the new geopolitical map that is taking shape. At the same time, he argued that NATO and the EU must find more effective ways of understanding and cooperation.

He concluded by commenting on Greece’s relations with Libya, criticizing and referring to the meeting with Marshal Khalifa Haftar years ago. However, he noted that efforts are being made to re-engage and stressed that Libya will enter a reconstruction phase, which means that “there is a bright field of opportunity” for cooperation on both diplomacy and economics.

The discussion was moderated by Athanasios Ellis, director of the English edition of Kathimerini.