Foreign Ministry denies reports of ‘discomfort’ over flyover request
The Greek Foreign Ministry has denied reports of alleged “discomfort” expressed to Athens following its stance on Moscow's request to use Greek airspace for flights to carry humanitarian aid to Syria.
“Not only was discomfort or any other negative comment expressed to the Greek government by any side regarding the matter of granting flyover permission for Greek airspace, but, on the contrary, Greece’s handling of this issue was highly appreciated,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Constantinos Koutras said in a statement Wednesday.
The United States asked Greece and Bulgaria earlier this week to deny overflight access, concerned by reports of a Russian military build-up in Syria. Greece said it was examining the American request but gave no further details.
On Wednesday, Russia's Foreign Ministry said that Washington's requests to Greece and Bulgaria to close their airspace for Russian flights to Syria amount to "international boorishness."
Athens on Tuesday said Russia planned to use an air route to the east of Greece, meaning the use of Greek airspace for such flights is no longer an issue.
