Dora Bakoyannis spoke in unequivocal terms when addressing the delegation of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Italian Senate during a joint meeting with the Hellenic Parliament’s National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee. As she noted in her own post, she warned the Italian delegation — speaking directly on the floor of Parliament — not to manufacture weapons that could be used to strike European countries, a clear reference to Turkey. After welcoming the Italian delegation and emphasizing the longstanding bonds of friendship and alliance between Greece and Italy — their shared values, commitment to democracy, human rights, and international law, as well as their long tradition of cooperation within the European Union and NATO — Bakoyannis turned her attention squarely to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Dora Bakoyannis: Turkey must reckon with its past
In her post, Dora Bakoyannis and the Italian delegation agreed that “Turkey must reckon with its past,” while she sharply condemned both Erdoğan’s practices and the states that engage in defense cooperation with his regime. She stressed that dozens of mayors and municipal councillors — including the Mayor of Istanbul — are currently imprisoned on transparently fabricated charges, and argued that any country that extends and deepens its defense cooperation with this regime is, in effect, rewarding its tactics. She further emphasized that in this battle between democracy and authoritarianism, the partners we choose — particularly in the critical domain of defense — carry more weight than ever before. She concluded by stating that we cannot turn a blind eye to what is happening in Turkey, a NATO member state, nor can we accept that one member of the alliance can threaten the territorial integrity and sovereignty of another.
In her post, Bakoyannis also highlighted that the Italian Senate delegation made what she called a “very important” reference to Turkey’s obligation to finally recognize the genocides of the Pontic Greeks and the Armenians.
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Who attended the meeting
“The high level of bilateral relations, as well as the shared role of Greece and Italy as pillars of stability, peace, and cooperation in the broader Mediterranean region, were reaffirmed during today’s (July 1) meeting between a delegation of the Hellenic Parliament’s National Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee and a delegation of the Italian Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, held at the Greek Parliament,” with both sides, according to an official statement, underscoring the strategic importance of their cooperation in the face of contemporary regional challenges.
Specifically, the Greek delegation was led by Dora Bakoyannis, chair of the Committee, and also included Vasileios Ypsilantis, president of the Greece-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group, and Dimitris Mantzos, a member of the Committee. The Italian Senate delegation was represented by Paolo Formentini, vice-chair of the Committee, and Giangiacomo Calovini, a committee member, accompanied by Italy’s Ambassador Paolo Cuculi and other official staff.
According to the same statement, the head of the Italian delegation, Mr. Formentini, emphasized that the entire Western world owes a great deal to Greece. He also addressed the need for European cooperation on defense, energy, and migration, as well as the broader confrontation between democratic and authoritarian regimes. Referring to Turkey, he argued that the neighboring country is transforming into an increasingly undemocratic regime. The Italian parliamentarian also made a point of referencing the Pontic Greek genocide — a gesture for which the Greek delegation expressed its warm gratitude.
