Turkish Foreign Ministry: Greece continues its “provocative” steps

Yesterday, Saturday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry rejected the provocative steps taken by Greece in the eastern Mediterranean and in the Aegean Sea.

“Greece continues its provocative and escalatory steps in the region,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement, in response to Greece’s announcement of the NOTAM notice to pilots in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.

Aksoy added that one of these steps is “Greece’s announcement of the Notification (NOTAM) with the aim of conducting maneuvers in 15 locations along the Aegean Sea, including a number of demilitarized islands and large areas in the eastern Mediterranean, in the period from January 4 to February 26, 2021.”

He stressed that Turkey has not changed its position towards keeping the channels of dialogue open with Greece, especially the exploratory talks, without preconditions.

Aksoy called “Greece to act responsibly and contribute to efforts aimed at promoting peace and stability in the region, within the framework of good-neighborly relations.”

Earlier this month, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said, “Greece continues to distort the facts, and is stalling in the start of serious talks to resolve the existing differences between the two sides.”

“Greece announced during the last 3 months in the Aegean and Mediterranean navies, 46 Naftex notifications and 22 maritime training yards, but only two announcements were used on the ground,” Akar added, stressing that “these measures do not comply with the principle of good neighborliness.”

The eastern Mediterranean region is experiencing tension as Greece continues to take unilateral steps with the Romanian side of the island of Cyprus and some countries in the region regarding areas of maritime jurisdiction.

Source: Agencies