Greek PM urges Turkey not to turn aggressive rhetoric into action
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday appealed to Ankara not to escalate tension with Athens further by turning aggressive rhetoric into action but added that “in any case, Greece is ready to defend its sovereignty and sovereign rights.”
“We’ve had a barrage of overflights and they’re constantly bringing up the unconscionable argument of supposed diminished sovereignty over the Greek islands. Such rhetoric leads nowhere… I wish, I hope and I openly urge Turkey not to translate this rhetoric into more tension in the field,” Mitsotakis said, speaking at a conference on the national health system.
“I think we are far from the point of 2020,” Mitsotakis added, pointing to previous periods of tension between the uneasy neighbors.
“It was our country’s duty to bring up these provocations, to seek the support of our allies, whether we’re talking about the United States or the European Union,” he said, in an apparent response to the fact that Turkey’s stance towards Greece escalated sharply in the wake of Mitsotakis’ successful visit to Washington last month.
“That support came publicly, without asterisks and footnotes,” the Greek prime minster added.
[Kathimerini, AMNA]
