Foreign Minister of Greece, Nikos Dendias, has commented recently the maritime talks between Albania and Greece after this country signed an agreement with Egypt on same issue. Speaking in an interview, Dendias said that Albania first must solve some problems as the protection of human rights of Greek minority.

- Given this very fact that we have signed an agreement with Italy and Egypt, is it the turn of Albania on the other side, to effectively close a circle?

- You know, it is a bit difficult there, because the Albanians first agreed, then they appealed to their Constitutional Court. There are some legal issues internally, their own: the power of attorney of the President in relation to the government, which he may not be ready to give. However, it is an issue that Greek foreign policy will handle, I do not discuss it.

Albania is a neighboring country, a country with which Greece wants to have friendly relations and wants to solve all its problems. One of these problems is this. Of course, there are other issues: the issue of the protection of the human rights of the Greek minority, which will be resolved in the context of Albania's accession process, because that is the European acquis. We do not say it as Greece, we say it as a European country and this is our friendly advice to all the countries that start this great journey to our family, the European Union.

The protection of human rights is a paramount issue and, in this sense, they should see the Greek minority in Albania as a factor for the development of the country, a bridge of friendship between Albania and Greece. 

- A question for which you are also accused by the official opposition ..

Are they accusing me? Heavy talk. 

They keep mentioning it. And yesterday in the announcement they made, they said that we should increase our territorial waters from 6 to 12 nautical miles in the Ionian. 

I have found preparation in the Ministry. As I told you, I have all the minutes of all the previous meetings. You know, no one starts, there is no parthenogenesis, every state is a long continuum. And you have to respect the tradition you handle. I have found preparations for the expansion of territorial waters, and it is something that the government is dealing with. It requires a pre-preparation, ie closure of bays, etc., but it is something that the government is dealing with in time and I will inform the colleagues of the parties and we will take the appropriate actions.

In this case, when we closed only in the Ionian, would we create a negative precedent in the Aegean, if Greece proceeded to increase the territorial waters from 6 to 12 only in the Ionian?

We can see it in a more positive way, that Greece is expanding its territorial waters, where the issues of characterization of maritime zones have been closed.

With the neighboring countries essentially.

Indeed. There are opinions on all issues, I respect all opinions. I tell you again that we have a great deal of international experience, which we have gained through our consultants. We talk to the parties, these are national issues, no one has the monopoly of the truth, alas. And I think we can have a new national approach and a new national success in that as well. I want to be honest. Yesterday's agreement is an agreement whose political responsibility and political responsibility lies with the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. But, we came to it, after many years of efforts, of many people, of many Ministers, of many governments. Consequently, the Mitsotakis government feels safe to consider that it represents as a whole a conception of the Greek political system, of how the interests of the country are secured.

And I think that was evident from the party announcements, even from the awkward announcements, when a party, perhaps for its own reasons, felt the need to leave some small tones of differentiation. I see this agreement as a great national success and a great national achievement.